


Cats, Bats, Kittens, and Hatchlings

by ThePackWantstheD



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Bruce Wayne is a Good Dad, Child Neglect, Codependency, Family, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Friendship, Gotham Sirens Friendship, Growing Up Together, M/M, Mother-Son Relationship, Slow Burn, Stray!Jason, teenage romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-03
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2018-09-28 00:50:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 81,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10060010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePackWantstheD/pseuds/ThePackWantstheD
Summary: In which Selina finds Jason trying to steal Batman's tires and offers to make his sticky fingers a bit stickier, Bruce finds Tim taking pictures of him and thinks that an orphan can take care of an abandoned boy, and the boys learn that life is a lot easier when there's another sidekick around to talk to.





	1. What's Your Origin Story? 'Cause Everybody's Got One.

Selina didn't spend much time in Crime Alley. The people that lived there didn't often have something she was interested in unless they'd stolen it from someone else. Even when they did, she tended to give them a pass. They didn't have much and the pay off from taking it wasn't nearly enough for her to take what little they did have.

Sometimes, though, a shortcut through Crime Alley was the quickest way to get home after a a job. So with a bag on her hip filled with several one of a kind Tiffany necklaces, Selina made her way across the rooftops in the area.

The night was dark the it almost always was in Gotham. The pollution in the sky made it look almost starless and covered the moon with a smokey film. One had to know how to navigate Gotham in the dark if they were going to be sneaking around the city once the sun went down. She was so used to it that she didn't have to take her steps anymore carefully than usual.

Still even when you knew the city like the back of your hand, there was a certain amount of caution that came with navigating in the dark. As she landed on the next roof in the series she was making her way across she stopped for a moment. It was only a few seconds, time meant to survey the next couple of jumps and double check they were as she remembered them, but in those few seconds she heard a series of sharp clicks.

Like a wrench being used to crank bolts loose.

It was such a familiar sound in Crime Alley, someone left their car alone for five minutes and something happened to it, that it shouldn't have caught her attention. But there was something about tonight, something that she couldn't put her finger on, that had her stepping towards the edge of the roof.

She peered down at the alley below.

It took her a moment to process what she was looking at, but then a small laugh escaped her mouth.

The sound instantly drew the attention of the boy in the alley below. The boy crouched down at the side of the batmobile with a lug wrench in his hand and two of the tires already off the vehicle. The boy was tall for his age, but small. The red hoodie he was wearing was loose on his frame. Even with nothing but the dim streetlights illuminating him, Selina could tell the boy was malnourished. There was muscle starting to grow on the boy, his body obviously adjusting to the roughness of life in Crime Alley, but a lack of food was keeping him from the strength he was capable of.

A flash of understanding tinted with sadness ran through her. She knew how rough growing up here could be. The boy had been dealt a bad hand, but he was learning how to deal with it. He had adjusted to this life in the way that every kid growing up in Crime Alley did if they wanted to survive. She remembered how miserable growing up there had been before and the place had only gotten worse since Gotham turned into a Supervillain magnet.

No kid should grow up like that.

"Whoa," the boy said. His voice hung somewhere between the high rung of a child and the lower rumble of a man. He was a teenager, she realized. A young one, probably at the beginning of puberty. "You're Catwoman."

Smiling slightly, Selina responded, "You know who I am?"

"Everyone in Gotham knows who you are," the boy answered. "You're almost as cool as Wonder Woman."

"Almost as cool?" she parroted back. She couldn't help the way her lips turned up in a small smile or the amusement that seeped through her.

"Yeah," the boy answered. He tipped his head, "You got a problem with that?"

She shook her head, "Not at all. I've heard she's quite amazing."

"So you've never met her?"

"No," Selina answered. The boy slouched a bit, disappointment in the line of his shoulders. Selina found that it made her amusement flare. She kicked one foot out, pointing her toe in the direction of the the vehicle. "But I've met him."

The boy didn't so much glance at the car, but he squared his shoulders. He tilted his chin up, meeting Selina's eyes without hesitation. His voice didn't portray so much as a hint of fear as he questioned, "Are you going to tell him?"

"No," Selina said.

Her smile spread just a little bit wider imagining how Bruce would react the next time they bumped into each other and she told him who had taken his tires. She was sure he'd have investigated it by then and figured it out, but it would be fun regardless.

"Good."

Then the boy turned away from her, crouching back down and slipping the wrench onto the bolts on the tires.

Selina watched him for a moment. Then she said, "I'll come down and help you."

* * *

It only took them a few more minutes to get the tires off the batmobile, but afterwards Selina tried to coax the boy - Jason Todd she learned - to let her treat him to a dinner. He'd hesitated at first, weary and cautious with strangers in that way that all children were but especially those that grew up in this area. Eventually, though, she wore him down. She wasn't sure if it was his hunger or his clear interest in superheros and villains which made him agree.

She didn't want to think about it either.

They took the tires to an abandoned building with an opening in the wood so small that Selina could barely fit in. There was a small blanket, pillows, and a small pile of clothes in the corner that made it obvious that Jason was staying here. She found it a mixture of relieving and concerning that Jason had found a place like this to stay in. It was a roof over his head, but buildings like this didn't stay empty long in this area. There was always some gang looking for a place to make their territory and they wouldn't hesitate to take out one boy.

After Jason had stored the tires, taking them somewhere that Selina couldn't see, the two of them crawled out of the building and walked down the street to get to a small diner. Jason had been quiet while they were taking the tires off, but as they walked he started opened up. And once he started talking it was almost impossible to get him to stop talking. Selina didn't know if it was because he hadn't had contact with someone that wasn't hostile in months or if he was just a naturally talkative kid.

She didn't want to think about that either.

Instead she focused on what he was saying.

He liked stories, she learned. Loved them even.

He wouldn't talk about anything too personal, but he told her stories about things he'd done, tricks he'd pulled to get away from people trying to hurt him or things he'd done to get something he needed. When he told stories he did it with his entire body. He used voices and facial expressions and moved his entire body. He made every story into an entire tale.

He didn't just like telling them, he liked reading them too. He talked about books he'd read, rented from the library or stolen from garage sales. He liked the classics - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Pride & Prejudice, Wuthering Heights. He liked other things too, Harry Potter and The Giver and The Book Thief, but he preferred the extravagant tales.

It wasn't just the stories he loved, but the language too. He flipped between languages when he needed to. He was fluent in Spanish and English, bilingual since birth she assumed, but he knew bits and pieces of other languages. He picked them up from other people on the streets. He knew a lot of Portuguese though he admitted that it's similarity to Spanish sometimes confused him, a little mandarin Chinese and Japanese, bits and pieces of what seemed like fifteen other languages.

He had a limited education, going to school wasn't conductive to living on the streets without getting caught and thrown into the system, but he was bright. So smart. Maybe not in a traditional way, he didn't seem to care much for maths or sciences, but so smart in his own way.

By the time they made it to the diner, Selina had already fallen in love with him.

She'd have to be cautious, careful not to spook him like a stray cat, but something in her connected to Jason. She wanted to help him, to protect him, to take care of him.

* * *

Bruce stared at the boy sitting on the far edge of the roof.

His back was turned to Bruce, his head tipped down as he looked at something in his hands. He wasn't very tall and his frame was thin. The black jacket he was wearing hung loosely off his frame. The way he was hunched over showed off a slip of skin under his hair line. His hair was a dark black, just like Dick's Bruce noted, but his skin was an alabaster white. Nothing about this boy was threatening and yet Bruce was certain this was the person he'd felt watching him over the past couple of weeks.

Bruce cleared his throat to catch the boy's attention. Letting his voice go low and gravely, he said, "What are you doing?"

The boy startled, seeming to jump in the air before he turned to see Bruce. His eyes were a bright blue. Bruce couldn't help noticing the similarity to Dick's. The boy's skin was clear and his face round with obvious youth. He didn't look like he'd even hit puberty yet.

When the boy just stared at him without answering, Bruce raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

"I was....checking my photos," the boy said. Bruce glanced down, noticing that the object the boy had been hunched over was a camera. It was nice looking, expensive. Not the type of thing people usually had in this area. "I come out to take pictures of you and Robin sometimes. Well, just you now. Not that that's any sort of bad thing just-"

The boy was obviously rambling, but one thing he had said caught Bruce's attention. If the boy had been taking pictures of him back when Dick was around than he'd been watching Bruce far longer than he'd realized.

Dick had had a mind of his own  when he was Robin, Bruce had spent a fair amount of his processing power making sure he knew where he was. He knew he hadn't caught every person that saw the two of them while they were out. Then when he and Dick had first stopped working together, Bruce had been dealing with a lot of emotions that effected his abilities. He knew that. That being said he hadn't ever felt the kid. He'd only noticed the boys eyes on him a few weeks before.

"-don't understand why he stopped being Robin though? I mean that costume wasn't great but it was better than that disco costume he's wearing as Nightwing. I haven't been in Blüdhaven very much, but it really doesn't photograph well and-"

Snapped out of his thoughts by the boys' words, Bruce's words went sharp as he said, "What."

The boy snapped off in the middle of his nervous rant. "What?"

"How do you know that?" Bruce demanded.

"That Nightwing and Robin are the same person? It's not that hard to figure out. They both have the same way of fighting. It's acrobatics mostly. He's slim so the hits aren't the hardest, but he can hit harder spots which hurt more," the boy explained. "Plus Dick Grayson moved to Blüdhaven at exactly the same time Nightwing showed up. It only make sense that if the boy who was Robin moves and then another superhero shows up than the only logical conclusion is that Dick Grayson is also Robin." Bruce didn't know what his face looked like, but it must not have been friendly because the boy's final words trailed off awkwardly. After a beat he said, "I probably shouldn't have told you I knew who you were, huh?"

"No," Bruce said.

It took everything he had to keep from reaching for the kid. He was nothing a kid and yet every instinct in Bruce's body rebelled against someone knowing who he was, who Dick was. Keeping their identities a secret was a matter of security. It kept them safer.

Bruce forced himself to calm down. Instead of reaching to slam the boy against the rooftop until he gave an answer, he growled out, "Explain."

And the boy, a little frightened by Batman bossing him around and probably a little eager to answer someone he obviously idolized, didn't hesitate to comply.

* * *

The boy's name was Tim Drake.

Even before he'd pointed it out, Bruce realized that he lived next door. With mansions as big as the ones in Gotham were, there was so much space between them that it wasn't as though Bruce would have ever seen the boy outside but he knew his parents. Mostly by reputation. Jack and Janet Drake were travelers, rarely ever in Gotham for the big parties and surrounded by friends who wanted to hear of latest adventure when they were.

The fact that the boy was sitting in some of the roughest parts of Gotham in the dark of night taking pictures of Batman and Robin was a clear sign that parties weren't the only thing the Drake's couldn't be bothered to come back to the country for.

Dick had been more than capable of taking care of himself, had proved that to Bruce multiple times in his role as Robin and had publicly taken classes in self-defense so he could use those moves in public if something happened, but Bruce had still worried about him. When Dick was in San Francisco with the Titans, Bruce had done everything he could to make sure he would know if something happened to Dick. He'd made sure Dick had numbers to every phone Bruce would be near, made sure that Dick had an emergency distress signal somewhere that he could never lose it, had even embarrassed the boy by insisting he keep some kind of beacon in Titan Towers in case something happened to Dick and the other Titans had to call him. And even with all of that, every time Dick was so much as a minute late for a scheduled phone call he had worried. He couldn't imagine leaving Dick on his own the way the Drake's left Tim alone.

It was possible Bruce was being too harsh on them, possible that the Drake's talked to Tim five times a day and cared for him more than Bruce could fathom, but Bruce didn't think he was.

There was something about the way the boy carried himself that was wholly independent. He had confidence in his body, a look in his eyes, that came only from having taken care of oneself for years.

There was a tragedy in that.

Tim wasn't nearly old enough to have that look in his eyes. If Bruce remembered correctly, and he was pretty sure he was since Tim looked around there, the Drake's son was ten years old. Someone should have been taking care of him, someone should have been protecting him. Someone should have been there for him the way Alfred had been for Bruce, the way Bruce had been for Dick.

He'd done things wrong with Dick. He didn't know what or when it had first gone wrong, but he was certain it had. Alfred insisted their fights were Dick's way of discovering himself, freshly eighteen Dick thought he suddenly knew better than them, but Bruce wasn't so sure. He didn't think their fights would have been so volatile if Dick was just rebelling.

Knowing that he'd messed up with Dick didn't stop him from care for Tim in the same way.

He knew the situation was different. Tim had parents, even if they were absent ones, while Bruce and Dick's had died before they'd reached him age. But Bruce still wanted to help him.

Tim was obviously brilliant, enough so that he'd been following Bruce and Dick around without either of them noticing, but he was still a kid.

He shouldn't be alone the way he was.

He deserved a family, as much of one as Bruce could give him.

* * *

Bruce was standing in front of a collection of sheets in a small, but high class boutique in Gotham.

He'd come from Wayne Tower, so he was wearing a pair of expensive suit pants but he'd stripped the jacket off and removed his tie while he was in the car to leave him in just a white dress shirt. He'd unbuttoned the top few buttons as well and slipped on a pair of dark sunglasses, though he'd pushed those up into his hair when he stepped inside out of respect for the owners.

He was searching for a set of sheets that Tim would like. He'd be more than willing to buy the boy different ones if he didn't like the ones Bruce picked, but part of him wanted desperately to pick something Tim would like.

It had been almost six months since Bruce had first started training Tim to become the next Robin. The boy was enthusiastic about his job, so brilliant and dedicated. He was smaller than either Bruce or Dick had been when they'd first started training for his roles, but he understood that better than either of them did. He found ways to make his size work for him. He wasn't the acrobat Dick was, but he was flexible and he'd learned how to make that work in order to counter an opponents strikes. What he lacked in Dick's physical strength, he made up for with an incredibly observant and logical brain. He was much better at the investigative part of what they did than Dick had been.

Outside of his role of Robin, Tim had already become a member of Bruce's family. He had quickly made his way into Bruce and Alfred's hearts, joining Dick in the place they reserved for a son and grandson respectively. From what Bruce could tell, Tim had begun thinking of them as his family as well. He no longer insisted on going back to his parent's empty manor when it was clear he'd rather stay with them, instead beginning to join them for dinners or stay the night after a long training session without needing to be asked. Instead of going to his empty house after school, he'd let himself into the Wayne manor without knocking after school and let Alfred feed him snacks to help him grow while he did his homework.

Bruce might have felt bad about the way Tim was fitting in as a member of his family, but in the time he'd known Tim the Drake's had been home only once and only for a week before they'd taken off again. They hadn't even noticed how little their son was home, seemingly indifferent to his presence in his house.

With Tim's first mission coming up soon, Bruce had thought it was the perfect time to create Tim an actual room in the house. The boy stayed at the manor more often than he stayed at his own house nowadays, making it his home, and Bruce wanted him to know that that was exactly what it was. He needed a room that was his own rather than a guest room. He wanted Tim to know that while as Robin he would be Batman's partner, he would always have a place in the house as Bruce's son.

He was debating between two shades of green, lighter ones that would make a nice accent to the dark furniture he and Alfred were having made for the room, when he heard an all too familiar voice purr, "And what would you be doing here, Bruce? Picking out sheets for the new birdie?"

Looking over his shoulder, Bruce found Selina Kyle standing behind him. She was wearing a dress made of seafoam green lace that swirled in a pattern of flowers and vines. There was a slip under the dress that was a shade of dull peach with a similarly colored ribbon wrapped around her waist with a flower off to the side. A pair of sunglasses with frames the same shade of peach as the belt pushed into her short hair. She had one hand on her waist and a small, wicked smile on her lips as she looked at Bruce.

A familiar feeling settled in Bruce's chest, a comfort and affection that came with her presence. Once Bruce had been uncomfortable with it, with the undeniable love and caring he had for her given the sides of the law they stood on, but now he'd learned to accept it. 

She wasn't like the other villains he faced. Catwoman didn't kill, didn't try to wipe out everyone in Gotham. She stole. She was harmless to most of the population. And her identity was as secret as his, so even if he tried to catch her while out of costume there wouldn't be any evidence.

"How did you find out?" Bruce asked.

"I have my sources," Selina answered, smile widening a bit. Bruce had a sneaking suspicion she only had one source and it was an old man who still hadn't learned to stop meddling in his life. Her smile flickered a bit as she said, "He's not like Dick."

"Not exactly," Bruce said. He probably should have been more worried about how much he was willing to share with her, but there was so much shared between them already that more didn't seem anything of consequence. "But he's not as different as you'd think."

"No," Selina said, her tone agreeing. "I imagine not if he caught your eye."

Bruce hummed, turning away from her to look back at sheets. He wasn't surprised when she stepped up to his side instead of taking it as a dismissal. She grabbed his arm, wrapping it around her own.

He looked over at her briefly. His lips twitched in a small smile before settling back down. "You're going to start rumors again."

"It's always fun to be gossiped about," Selina answered.

He made a face that had her laughing, voice soft and sweet. Bruce let her for a moment, enjoying the sound of it.

Then he said, "How did you figure out where I was? I doubt your source told you."

"He didn't," Selina agreed. "I was at that book store down the street - the one that makes the beautiful custom covers for books? - and I saw you drive down the street so I came to say hello."

"What did you get a cover for?" Bruce asked, curious. He was familiar with the shop and they did beautiful work. He wasn't surprised it had struck her interest.

"I ordered a few things. The Catcher in the Rye, Little Women, Frankenstein," she listed. "Jason loves them, but despite all I've bought him he doesn't have copies of his own for any of them yet. I thought they would make a good birthday present."

"Jason?" he asked. He wasn't quite jealous. He knew the feelings he had for her were reciprocated, but he also knew she was aware he would never do anything about it. Men coming in and out of her life was something he'd come to accept. He was just curious about this new man he hadn't heard of. No one in their social circles went by that name.

"My little birdie. Though I suppose, in this case we should refer to him as a little kitten," Selina said. He was still trying to process the information when she looked up at him, eyes serious and mouth in a thin line. "He's turning thirteen in August. He's never had a proper birthday before, so I'm trying to make this one special."

Bruce watched her for a minute before nodding. Reaching up, he patted her hand with his own. "Okay."

"Okay," she echoed. Then she reached with her other hand, pointing at one of the sets Bruce had been looking at. "Get this one for him. It'd be nice for him to have a little bit of color in his room given how dreary the rest of the house is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Hello everyone! I've had the idea for this story for a while, but never really got around to writing it until now? I'm really excited for it though! 
> 
> 2) This story is like 20% romance, 30% friendship, and 50% family fluff. Most of it's gonna be happy, but there are going to be some ups and downs and all arounds.
> 
> 3) I know it's super common to have Tim as stray, but I always thought Selina would connect more with Jason?? So I wanted to give that a shot here. 
> 
> 4) Despite this chapter being in Bruce and Selina's point of view, I'm actually planning on this being solely Jason and Tim's POV. Unless you guys WANT more Bruce and Selina?
> 
> 5) The number of times Selina's origin story and such has been retconned is ridiculous. So I'm basically just picking out pieces that I want. The same goes for everyone else lmao. Hopefully it won't be too disjointed and you'll all enjoy it. Jason's outfit when Selina bumps into him is one of those things pulled from one canon even though most of him is pulled from another. It wasn't a red hood joke by me, but by the authors of RHATO Rebirth. 
> 
> 6) I am all about literature nerd Jason Todd. Libraries are an escape for lots of people. 
> 
> 7) I am...not fond of the way I portrayed Selina's thoughts about Jason?? Please let me know if they seem completely off base to you. 
> 
> 8) Just as a note: this chapter takes place when Jason is twelve and Tim is ten, but in the late winter/early spring before their birthdays. So in the next chapter they'll have turned thirteen and eleven respectfully. Dick is 18, which is briefly touched on. He's going to have a lot more of a normal adulthood in this story then he did in the comics, though he's still Nightwing. 
> 
> 9) Rewatched Under the Red Hood while writing the last bits of this. Still crying tbh. 
> 
> 10) I'M SO WORRIED BRUCE COMES OFF VERY CREEPY IN THE LAST SECTION???
> 
> 11) [This](http://productshots1.modcloth.net/productshots/0131/9437/818e13e33c64132eda99ba88365cc638.jpg?1376429616) is the dress Selina is wearing in the last section.


	2. Here We Are, No One Else, and I Can Tell That We Are Gonna Be Friends

Stray was sat on the edge of a roof top. He was leaned back, palms pressed against the rooftop and his weight braced against them, while his legs kicked freely against the brick under him.

Catwoman had made it clear that he was supposed to stay out of the way while she was with Batman. Taking risks on a job and taking risks with Batman were two different things. He wouldn't usually be a threat to them, but he was unpredictable. It was better for Stray to stay away and let her handle it than for both of them to go down.

Privately, Stray thought the reason she didn't want him involved in the game she played with Batman was more because that game wasn't age appropriate than because of any danger the man might've posed to him. When they'd last spoken about that, Catwoman had laughed at him and ruffled his hair. She'd told him he wasn't entirely wrong. He hadn't inquired any further because their doorbell rang and she'd sent him off to retrieve the pizza they'd had delivered. 

Even though he was under orders to stay out it when Batman got involved in their business, Stray knew better than to head back to their place just yet. He had a pocket full of blood diamonds stolen from a local mob wife and it was better to wait for her safety signal than to risk getting in the middle of their chase. This was the easiest place for him to wait in case Batman realized that she didn't have the diamonds before she intended him too. He'd have to be quick, but he was smaller and faster than Batman and that would make it easy to get away from him in this part of town.

Still, waiting here was boring.

He was in the middle of trying to figure out what exactly the drug dealer in the alley below him was trying to sell, not that he would be buying himself but this guy's strategy was it was clearly shit because Stray didn't think a single person had actually bought from him, when he heard someone let out a loud, frustrated noise.

Turning his head, he spotted another boy standing on the rooftop to his left. The boy was smaller than him, both in height and width. Despite Catwoman's stay-away-from-the-bats rule Stray had caught glimpses of the boy before, so he recognized the mash of greens and reds and golds that made up his costume.

"Hey Robin," Stray called out.

The boy, and he was so small that even if Stray hadn't already known who he was it would have been obvious that he was younger than him even if not by much, jumped a bit before turning in his direction. He wasn't quite battle ready, but there was a tension in his body that made it obvious he was ready for action the second something went wrong. His eyes narrowed as he searched through the dark before he finally locked onto Stray.

His voice was high and light, obviously pre-pubescent, as he said, "Stray."

"You look a little frustrated," Stray said, lips pulling up in a smile. "Lose something?"

"Yes." The honesty of it was so surprising that Stray couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of his throat. "I don't suppose you've seen it?"

"That way," Stray said, pointing his finger in the direction that he'd last seen Catwoman and Batman in. "But you're probably better off waiting for it to come back to you. Catwoman's with him and I don't think whatever they're doing is PG-13."

Robin's face scrunched up. "Ugh."

"Pretty much," Stray agreed. "But if it's not too far after your bedtime, I might have something else for you to do."

"What would that be?" There was an obvious note of suspicion in Robin's voice.

"There's a regular ol' Pablo Escobar down there," Stray said. He pointed with his foot down to the alley below him. "He's not very _good_  at it, but a few kids have come by and he's obviously trying to sell to them."  
  
"Okay." Robin peered down at the alleyway, examining the area below them. "It's too bad for him that my bedtime isn't until three."

Stray was still laughing as Robin slipped down into the alley below.

He stayed there watching as Robin wielded a bo staff that seemed twice as long as he was tall until he was certain Robin had things under control. But by the time the kid had a moment to look up and check up on him, Stray had already drifted back into the shadows and away.

* * *

Generally, Catwoman and Batman didn't run into each other a whole lot. Catwoman operated on a broader scale than the other villains in Gotham, frequently leaving not only Gotham but the country as a whole. When she was in Gotham, though, the work she did was sneakier and often less of a concern for Batman. A crime, yes, but only a dangerous one when her target made it that way.

In the weeks that followed Stray and Robin talking for the first time, though, it seemed as though the two groups couldn't go more than two nights without bumping into each other.

Stray was still under strict orders to stay out of Batman's way, but he suddenly found that a lot less upsetting.

Usually he didn't have anything to do while he was waiting for Catwoman to finish whatever game she was playing with Batman that night. Sometimes he would spend the night hanging around with the working girl's on one the alley. The girl's were always nice, talking to him in between clients and sharing bags of chips or granola bars with him, and they appreciated the way he protected them when he saw them getting roughed up, but he tried not to spend too much time with them since having a kid his age hanging around wasn't great for business. Sometimes he would spend the night alone on a rooftop, popping mint flavored bubbles and watching whatever was happening in the alley below. He had a bad tendency of stepping in when things went a way he didn't agree with though. Catwoman always made fun of him afterwards, laughing as she disinfected his cuts and wrapped his knuckles while asking if he was sure he was a cat rather than a bat.

After that first conversation, though, Stray started seeking out Robin on the nights when they had both been ditched by their mentors.

Robin seemed confused by it at first, but it didn't take him long to start rolling with it.

Stray figured that Robin was probably as starved for companionship within their age group as he was. They went to different schools, Catwoman had offered to put him in a private school but Stray had been uncomfortable with the idea, but Stray had seen the boy outside of the costume. Skinny, pale, and a little awkward. All of that added onto the burden that came with the secret? It wasn't exactly the best recipe for making friends.

Stray liked him though. Robin _was_  a little small for his age, but that mostly just made Stray want to protect him. The situations were different, but something about how small Robin was always made Stray think of the kids he'd spent time with on the streets. He _was_  a little pale, but the more Jason spoke to him the more he realized it was just genetics and a childhood spent mostly alone indoor or wandering around at night. He _was_  definitely a little awkward, but he was also ridiculously smart for his age and just the perfect amount of sarcastic.

The more time that passed, the more Stray stopped visiting Robin because it was something new to do and started doing it because he genuinely enjoyed spending time with Robin.

There was a small cart in one of the bar heavy areas that sold slushies and sno-cones all night long, raking in cash from the drunks that were positively enamored by the idea of a cherry sno-cone. The two of them would make their way there some nights. The guy who ran the stand gave them a discount and Stray could never figure out if it was because they were far nicer than his usual clientele or if it was some kind superhero thing since Robin was so recognizable. Regardless Robin would mix himself a slushie with the cherry and coca cola while Stray worked his way through every odd flavor on the menu, trying everything from strawberry-kiwi to banana.

Afterwards, the two of them would make their way back to whatever rooftop they were expected to be on and spend the night talking. Robin was all about science and art and movies. He spoke passionately about the practical applications of Star Trek technology in the real life and had so many theories about Banksy that Stray was sure Robin would never stop talking if he asked him about Area 51 the kid would never shut up. Stray was more about literature and live performances. He rambled about Jane Austen and how Robin absolutely had to read her books because they were super good no matter what people said about them being for girls. He explained to Robin how it was a tragedy that most people's first introduction to Shakespeare was Romeo and Juliet since there were so many better options.

Nights like that were soft, calm. They were nights for simply hanging out, not doing much.

Sometimes, though, the two of them were filled with so much energy that sitting around talking wasn't actually an option. Instead they found ways to get their energy out around the city. Sometimes it meant that despite their orders to stay somewhere that they wouldn't be in the way, Stray would steal something off Robin's belt and take off. Those nights they chased each other around the city, cheeks rosy from exhaustion but laughing the entire time. Sometimes, though, the two of them worked their energy out by doing the sort of thing that Stray didn't get to do with Catwoman. They took out drug dealers, leaving them wrapped up for the cops to find, and gang members and other criminals that trolled the streets.

Those nights had Stray feeling a sort of unshakable pride.

There was a poetic justice in what he did with Catwoman, but what he did with Robin was just _justice_.

* * *

Tim stood at the dessert table, wondering how many of the tiny finger foods he could steal before someone could say something.

He hated coming to these events, but his parents were huge supporters of the museums in Gotham. They may have contributed more to the history museum given their interest in archaeology, but they had never shied away from the art or science museums either. So for this kind of museum event to happen without a Drake present would have been more scandalous than the fact that the _only_  Drake present was the young heir.

He thought the worst part about it was that for once, there was actually someone here that he considered family and he couldn't interact with them. After all, tiny eleven year old Tim speaking to the very much older Bruce Wayne all night would have been incredibly suspicious. Tim hated that. He wished there was some way for him to interact with Bruce in public without people questioning it.

He didn't even care if it meant he had to listen to the man that was practically his father flirt with all of the women at the party.

Tim shook his head, trying to shake the thought. Instead he focused again on the desserts in front of him.

"Do you like chocolate?" Tim hadn't noticed anyone coming towards him, but when he looked up he found Jason Todd standing on the other side of the table. The thirteen year old was Selina Kyle's recently adopted son. Jason was wearing the same sort of slick black suit as Tim, tighter in the shoulders in order to accentuate the way he was filled out despite being only thirteen, but with a silver tie. Tim had seen Selina earlier in a black dress with a diamond studded collar, so Jason's tie not only brought out the blue in his eyes but also matched what she was wearing. "I've been stealing those peanut butter and chocolate things all night and I don't think anyone but me is eating them. So you should take some of those if you're trying to be sneaky about it."

Tim was a little surprised by Jason speaking to him. Despite them being close in age, Tim had never actually met Jason. They hadn't been to any of the same parties over the past few months, so there had been no opportunity to meet. Tim wouldn't have even recognized him if not for the way his face had been splashed all over tabloids as Gotham questioned what their leading bachelorette was up to.

"I do like chocolate," Tim said, "but the little tarts looked better."

"They're pretty good," Jason agreed. "But all of the ladies have been eating them, so I'm not sure you could get away with taking a lot of them. I think they feel better about eating them since there's fruit on the top."

Tim hummed for a moment before saying, "I think I'll risk it." He grabbed one of the small plates to the side before adding three of the chocolate-peanut butter balls that Jason had indicated as well as two of the small tarts with raspberries on top of them.

With his food in hand, he struggled to figure out what he was supposed to do.

Talking to Jason sounded a lot better then throwing himself back into the fray of adults, some of them cheek punching old ladies and others old men who didn't talk about anything other than golf, but he wasn't sure if Jason talking to him was an incentive for him to stick around or if it was just some friendly advice. Jason was two years older than him after all. It wasn't that big of an age difference, but he knew thirteen year olds from school who seemed horrified by the idea of talking to an eleven year old.

So instead of addressing it, Tim did what he thought was the reasonable alternative and settled for shoving one of the tarts into his mouth.

Jason laughed. The sound wasn't mocking, just light and carefree. There was something about it that rang as familiar to Tim.

When he spoke his voice had the same kind of light tone to it, "You're going to choke if you eat that quickly, baby bird."

"I'm not six. I know how to eat my-" Tim began objecting after he'd swallowed. He stopped abruptly as it occurred to him what Jason had called him. There was only one person in the world who had ever called Tim baby bird. "What."

Jason grinned at him. He'd been smiling at Tim the entire time, but now the edges of it curled into something more mischievous and sly. It made it obvious that while it sounded like he'd slipped up, it had been a calculated move. It was a familiar look. His voice was a slow drawl as he echoed back, "What?"

"You know what," Tim accused. Only moments ago he'd thought this was his first time talking to Jason Todd, but now he'd realized very abruptly that he actually knew Jason Todd well enough to make statement like that. Because Jason Todd was apparently the not-quite-supervillain not-quite-superhero that Tim considered his best friend. He suddenly wished he paid as much attention to villains as he did superheroes. Catwoman wasn't really on his radar, but now it was obvious who she was. "You're St-"

"Sh," Jason shushed, lifting one of his fingers to his mouth. Despite the gesture, there was a smile on his lips that made it obvious that what Tim had said was true. "We can't let the cat out of the bag, now can we?"

"That was a terrible joke," Tim objected, feeling a sharp urge to groan.

"You're a terrible joke," Jason shot back. The words weren't spoken harshly, but something about knowing exactly who Jason was made it sound not just joking, but also incredibly fond. He looked around for a moment before saying, "I've been to a few of these parties since the adoption went through and I still haven't found anything fun to do at them. Have you?"

"No," Tim said. "I'm pretty sure there isn't anything fun to do."

"That's unfortunate," Jason said. He frowned for a moment before saying, his lips turning up in a smile again, "You'll have to keep me entertained then."

Tim had absolutely no problem with that.

* * *

Tim wasn't really expecting anything to change between him and Jason after he found out Jason's identity.

They would still hang out in costume when they could and maybe now they'd talk when they were at the same parties, but he wasn't expecting Jason to actively seek him out.

Instead when Tim got out of school the afternoon after the party, he found Jason standing by Gotham Private's gates. Despite the chilly November air, Jason was wearing dark jeans that clung to his legs. They were a little tighter than the baggy jeans most boys his age preferred. With it he wore a white tee-shirt with a black skull taking up the entire left side of the shirt. He wore a black leather jacket over it, the kind with a hood connected to it though Jason had left it down.

The other students were side-eyeing Jason, obviously confused as to why this kid that so obviously didn't go to their school was hanging around their gate. Tim knew that Jason was there for him and _he_  was confused as to why Jason was there. Still, he squared his shoulders and walked over. And even though Jason hadn't said anything yet the second he noticed Tim approaching him and looked at him with a full tooth grin, Tim knew that his assumption that things were going to stay the same between them was going to turn out to be wrong.

That day Jason dragged Tim out to a go-karting place near by. Tim had known it existed, but he'd never had anyone to go to this sort of place with because he couldn't imagine Jack Drake or Bruce Wayne in one of the tiny karts. Going with Jason was fun though. They raced around the track, Jason gloating each time he won and insisting on a rematch each time he didn't. Someone else might have found it irritating, annoyed by Jason's seemingly bad sportsmanship, but Tim just laughed and indulged him. When they finished Jason dragged him into the arcade attached to the track. They played games of ski-ball, threw large red balls at angry clown faces, and threw basketballs into the distant hoop. They even tried a few of the shooters, shouting to each other as they advanced through levels. By the time they had to leave, Tim's curfew was soon and he knew Bruce would panic if he wasn't back at Wayne Manor by then, Jason was wearing a hat with a Penguin's face and little attached mittens while Tim held a little wind-up space invader. In addition to their big prizes, they were both holding a small bag of knick-knacks and candy.

After that first day, going out with Jason after school became normal.

Sometimes they went on fun adventures like that first day. Tim hadn't had much experience with the sort of things normal kids did. He hadn't had friends before Jason and his parents weren't exactly the type to do the types of things he did with Jason.

They went rollerblading around the park. For a while, Jason skated backwards so he could hold Tim's hands while he was trying to find his balance. Once Tim had the hang of it, though, Jason would skate circles around Tim while they talked. Sometimes he'd take off, pushing all of his power into each stride, but he never left Tim's sight and he always looped back around. He liked to come up behind Tim, digging his fingers into Tim's hips as he passed to get back to his side.

They went to play laser tag at a local place. At first they played on different teams. Tim preferred to sneak around quietly, peeking through the dark to find the neon green vest Jason was wearing and shooting him from the back, while Jason spent the entire time hurtling insults at Tim. There was no venom behind them, though. Just friendly teases. Tim even laughed at a few of them, giving away where he was hidden. After that the two of them teamed up against two brothers that came in together. The two of them were a deadly combination. Jason was taught by Catwoman and he had all the acrobatic ability that it took to dodge out of the way when he drew fire from their opponents, giving Tim the opening to shoot them and win the game.

One time Tim went with Jason to the mall to help him pick out a jacket since Selina was insisting he needed something heavier than his leather one before the winter started properly. Neither of them mentioned how Jason had gone through winters without one before. Instead Tim helped Jason pick out a coat that was warm, but not absurdly marshmallow-y then the two of them went to the food court. They got slushies and walked around peering at things. Tim ended up getting new gym shoes, something he'd been needing since Gotham Academy only allowed certain types of sneakers in the gym. Both of them picked up some other things they'd been wanting, Jason getting a few new novels from a bookstore and Tim picking up a DVD he'd been looking for.

Neither of them really had the energy or time for those types of adventures constantly though.

So sometimes they would go to the library where one of them would splay their textbooks out in front of them. When Jason was studying, Tim would make himself comfortable with whatever novel he was reading. Usually it was science fiction, but Bruce had gotten him into detective novels recently as well. When Tim was busy studying, Jason would sprawl out in a beanbag chair. He read what seemed like every novel in the library, not just the ones in English but also the few that were in Portuguese and Spanish and French. Tim was pretty sure he'd even seen Jason looking at an untranslated manga before.

Sometimes they didn't study, but they weren't feeling like doing a huge thing so they'd go to lunch. They tended towards small diners where all of the waitresses knew their names. They'd ruffle their hair, asking them about school as they took their orders. Jason liked big greasy foods. They were the type of foods that Alfred and Bruce would have had a heart attack if they'd seen Tim eating and which Jason admitted Selina never let him have at home. It was burgers that dripped and pizza with oozy cheese and sandwiches with so much stuff piled on them that Tim could barely fit it in his mouth. Tim loved it, but it was probably a good thing they didn't usually go out for lunch. The Robin suit was quite tight, it didn't really leave room for him to put on weight.

No matter what they ended up doing, Tim found that he loved spending time with Jason. No matter what they ended up doing, it was fun and easy and Tim found himself smiling the entire time.

* * *

"Ready?" Jason asked, a firm grip on the chains of the swing Tim was sitting on.

The early January air was turning his fingers a sharp red, but he didn't like the way gloves felt over his hands. Tim and Selina had both been arguing with him all winter about it. Jason ignored them, complaining about his cold fingers but still refusing to pick up the gloves that Selina left in the bowl by their apartment door for him to grab when he left.

"You promise we're not going to tip?" Tim said.

"Not really," Jason said. "But if I tip us it's going to be both of us eating dirt."

"That makes me feel so much better," Tim said, voice sarcastic. He didn't move to get up though, just tightened his grip on the chains.

Jason laughed at him, "Alright. I'm doing it now."

He pulled Tim back and forth for a moment before he hopped up to get one foot on the swing with Tim. He used the other to push them off harder, giving them a bit more momentum.

He heard Tim shriek as bit as he did so, obviously surprised by it even though he'd known Jason was planning on hopping onto the swing with him.

Jason couldn't help laughing at him. Chuckling to himself, he closed his eyes as he maneuvered the chains so they kept gaining momentum. He could feel the wind nipping at his cheeks and Tim leaning back so his head bumped against Jason's legs.

Moments like this seemed really simple, but it was ones like this that really made Jason think about how much he'd gained over the year. He had a roof over his head that he knew wasn't going anywhere, food always in his fridge, and so much clothing that he didn't have to wear anything with tears in it unless he wanted to.

He had Selina and Tim.

"So," Tim said, voice breaking through Jason's thoughts. Jason opened his eyes, looking down to find that Tim had craned his head back so he was looking up at Jason. "When we were having dinner last night, Bruce asked me where I'd been going after school every day."

"He just noticed?" Jason said, an eyebrow raising. "It's been a good three months, baby bird."

"No, he noticed before," Tim said. "I think he was just too happy about it to ask before."

"Bruce has emotions like happy?" Jason asked, thinking about the man he knew. He didn't know the real Bruce Wayne, just the party animal that Selina made sure he knew was an act and Batman who Selina made sure he knew also wasn't entirely true either. He figured the man fell somewhere between the two, but it was hard to imagine Batman smiling.

"Everyone has emotions like happy," Tim said. Jason didn't correct him. "But Dick, the other Robin you know?, was a lot more social than I am. Bruce doesn't talk about him much because they've been fighting, but from what I can tell he was always a pretty chatty kid. He made friends easily."

Tim looked vaguely bothered by it.

Jason bent a bit, nudging Tim with his knee but not enough to bump him off the swing. "You could have a lot of friends and not have anyone as close to you as I am."

"I get the feeling Dick probably had a few people close to him," Tim said. He smiled, though, as he added, "But I do think you're a good enough friend to make up for the fact that I don't have any others."

"Exactly," Jason said. "I'm so cool you don't need other friends."

"Okay, Narcissus," Tim said, rolling his eyes as he laughed.

"Greek mythology counts as classics and classics reference are my thing. So back off," Jason said. After a moment, he added, "Did you tell Bruce?"

"No," Tim said with a small shake of his head. "I was worried he wouldn't want us hanging out. I know he gets along with Selina, but you guys are still...bad guys to an extent."

"Would you stop talking to me if he said to?"

"No," Tim said. "I don't know what I'd do. I don't want to lose you, but I don't want to lose him either."

Jason felt the same.

He didn't ever want to lose Selina or Tim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the positive response on the prologue and I hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter as well!
> 
> 2) For anyone who doesn't know, Pablo Escobar was a pretty notorious drug kingpin. 
> 
> 3) The title for this chapter is a combination of two different lyrics from The White Stripes "We're Going to be Friends."
> 
> 4) My other fic involved a lot of smoothies, but I'm actually more of a slushie person so expect that to be Tim and Jay's signature drink in this fic. And on that note holy shit there are some [holy shit there are some weird slushie flavors](http://fusion.net/a-definitive-ranking-of-the-10-best-slurpee-flavors-1793849118)
> 
> 5) [Selina's dress](http://style-gossip.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/59e35bc6ed2caa62475577fe62e.jpg) in the third section since even though she doesn't actively show up it's addressed in reference to Jason's tie. 
> 
> 6) [Here](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/27/d1/d7/27d1d7f6c080ef317cf9f8090c1e9e5c.jpg) [are a few](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/43/61/40/4361407420867b954c14ab5c638f0f69.jpg) [pictures to show](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/a5/65/50/a565509d5ae9ed771a4a82516fc51b8d.jpg) [my Jason aesthetic.](http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1577789/thumbs/o-LEATHER-570.jpg)
> 
> 7) I'm sure you guys have all seen these hats but [Jason's](http://blog.ctswholesalesunglasses.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/AniHats_PengWolfMonkPuppyRabbitTiger.jpg) arcade prize. [This](http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a135/herbertsmart/March%20of%20Dimes%202016/Arcade%20Fix%20It%20SI%20prize%20pack_zpsqjgzb94g.jpg) is Tim's prize because it's appropriately nerdy and really fucking cool?


	3. The People Who Stand By You Without Flinching

Tim looked around the hallway as Jason slotted the key into the door.

He'd never been to Jason and Selina's apartment before. The two of them were so unsure of how their respect guardians would act when they found out they were friends that they'd avoided their houses less they run into them.

However, when Jason found out that Tim had to find a book to do his book report on he'd been insistent that Tim read Ender's Game. Tim had been surprised by the choice, expecting Jason to recommend a classic like Oliver Twist or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but when he'd brought it up Jason had shrugged him off and there was no point in recommending something like that when he knew that Tim liked science fiction. There were plenty of good science fiction novels he could recommend to Tim. When they'd gone to the library to check the book out, though, they'd found there was a wait list for it. Rather than picking a different book, Jason had said that he'd lend Tim his copy of it.

Usually in a situation like that they'd turn their attention to something else for the day and they would deal with it tomorrow, in this case Jason would bring him the book, but Jason had confided in Tim that he and Selina were going out of town tomorrow so they'd have to go get it today. The fact that they shared information like that was one of the reasons they were nervous about their guardians finding out. Neither of them wanted to be used against the other, no matter how unlikely it seemed that they'd actually do that.

Despite their fears, Jason insisted that Selina would be out today running some last minute errands so everything would be set for them to leave. It was enough for them to feel comfortable going to the apartment together to get the book, Jason confident in his memory and Tim confident in Jason.

"This is a nice building," Tim said.

The hallway outside the apartment had sleek white walls with monochrome photographs in the spaces between the apartments and the floor under their feet was a dark wood. The apartments were obvious large as well, only two on each side of the wall. The security wasn't anything to shrug at either given what Tim had seen, but he supposed that didn't really matter to Jason and Selina. They were more then capable of protecting their home themselves.

"Thanks," Jason said. "Selina was here before me, but I like it. The neighbors aren't as obnoxious as I expected from a place like this."

Tim hummed, understanding what Jason was getting at, but didn't say anything else.

"Alright," Jason said, withdrawing his key after a sharp click. He pushed open the door, gesturing for Tim to walk inside. "After you."

Tim gave him a small smile as he stepped inside. "Should I take my shoes off?"

"Yeah," Jason said. Stepping in after Tim, he added, "There's a mat to the left for you to leave them on."

"Okay."

As the two of them were slipping their shoes off, a feminine voice called out, "Jason, are you home already? I thought you'd be out longer."

Both of them froze.

Tim looked over his shoulder, shooting Jason a panicked look only to find the emotion mirrored in Jason's eyes.

Before Jason could say anything in response or Tim could move to leave, there was the sound of approaching footsteps.

A moment later Selina was in the doorway that led out of the entry hall. She was wearing a pair of black leggings with a white tee-shirt that hung loosely off her body. With them she wore a soft looking, burgundy knitted cardigan.

Catwoman moved with a sort of effortless grace, but there was always something in her body what was tightened and ready to pounce. Now she was soft and loose in a way that people could only be within their own home.

He didn't expect Selina Kyle to be exactly like Catwoman, the same way that Bruce wasn't exactly like Batman, but it was strange to see her like this.

Selina watched the two of them in silence for a moment.

Then she said, "Well, I was hoping you'd come back early to finish packing."

"No," Jason said. He sounded unsure of his words, like he wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. "Tim needs a book for his book report so I'm loaning him my copy of Ender's Game."

Selina raised an eyebrow, "Does Tim want to read Ender's Game or are you forcing recommendations on people again?"

"I don't force people to read my recommendations," Jason objected.

"Well, you did kind of steamroll me into it," Tim said, unable to keep silent. Selina laughed, the sound so genuinely soft and amused. "But I didn't have anything else that I wanted to read, so I don't mind too much."

"Well that answered that question," Selina said, her voice still filled with amusement. She'd been leaning against the doorway, but now she straightened up. "Let me know if you boys get hungry, okay? I can make us a pizza or some sandwiches."

"Okay."

There was a small moment after she left, walking back to the room she'd came from, where they were both silent.

Then Tim said, "That was weird, right?"

"Oh yeah," Jason said. "But she doesn't seem to care that you're here so that's a plus."

* * *

Jason's room was a perfect representation of Jason. The walls were a dark chocolate brown and the floor a light color to offset the dark of it. One wall was taken up completely by a large loft bed made of slick black wood. The area under the bed was filled with shelves that were fillefd with books. The wall perpendicular to the bed had a large black desk shoved against it. A slick laptop rested in the center of the tabletop with various pens and papers shoved around it. Directly above the desk where three black frames with typography in them. One was a quote Tim recognized from Coraline, one that Tim knew from one of the A Song of Ice and Fire books, and a third that he couldn't place. All of them were about the importance of books in ones life. The wall directly across from the bed had a large window with a nook in it that contained a cushion to sit on. There were traces of Jason's other hobbies all over the room - a baseball bat leaning against a corner, a collection of DVDs near the laptop, and a parade of tiny action figures that Tim knew Jason had gotten from the arcade on the dresser near the door.

They spent most of their time they were there that day in Jason's room, not really doing much of anything. Jason was insistent that Tim had to start reading the book, wanting to know his first impression before he left, so Tim tucked himself into the window nook with the book. After some nudging, Jason settled in at the desk to work on his homework. They were quiet, both in their own little worlds, but Jason had turned his laptop on to play some music. It was something obviously picked to go with the mood of Tim's book, dark melodies and songs with gunfire in the harmony. Even though they weren't actively doing anything together, there was something that Tim felt so soothing about all of it. Something about Jason that calmed Tim. That made him comfortable and steady.

Initially, Tim hadn't been so sure that Selina actually was that okay with him being there, wondering if maybe she just didn't want to bring it up immediately, but the longer he was there that night the more obvious it became that Selina really didn't seem to care that he was there.

She came into the room after a while, knocking her knuckles against the door and waiting for Jason to respond before she entered, and announced that it was dinner time. Tim had been so absorbed in the book that he hadn't realized he was hungry until Selina had interrupted them. She'd laughed when she heard his stomach rumble, but it hadn't been unkind. Instead she'd told them that there was pizza out in the kitchen if they wanted it, a treat since Jason had a friend over.

Dinner with Selina and Jason was different from dinner with Bruce and Alfred. Instead of eating at the dining room table, they piled their pizza onto paper plates and took them out into the living room. They gathered around the little coffee table in front of the couch and watched cooking shows while they ate Tim had been a little confused by their choice of TV but then Selina had told him that they could only watch cooking shows when they were eating otherwise she just ended up hungry. Tim liked it. He liked dinners at the manor as well, talking to Bruce about his day and what he'd been thinking about, but it was fun to sit here with Jason and Selina and laugh about the challenges on Cutthroat Kitchen as well.

Afterwards Selina made it clear that while he didn't have to go, Jason did still have to pack tonight so Tim shouldn't stay too much later. Tim stayed for just another hour, playing through a game of Mario Party. Selina hadn't played with them, but she'd tucked herself into the side of the couch and made comments which got both of them riled up. It was a little manipulative, but in a way that was fun rather than harmful.

He left feeling disgruntled that Jason had beaten him, mostly because Jason had done it in bonus stars rather than outright, but with a smile on his face.

Selina hadn't asked anything about their relationship or how they'd started hanging out that day, but when Jason came back a week later he told Tim how Selina had made him spill the entire story while they were on the plane.

Tim wasn't sure exactly what they'd talked about, but whatever had been said Selina didn't seem to disapprove.

Instead after Selina and Jason arrived back from their trip, Tim found himself spending more and more time at their apartment. The more time he spent at the apartment, the more time he spent with Selina. When they came inside complaining about the cold, winter was on it's way out but it was leaving with a bang, Selina was inside with a mug of hot tea and a question about their school days. When she came home to find Tim and Jason already sitting on the couch, sometimes playing video games and sometimes doing their homework while watching TV, she greeted them with a kiss to Jason's hair and a ruffle of Tim's. Tim coming over stopped being a big enough deal to warrant food out and when they were sitting around the table to eat whatever had been made for dinner, Selina asked Tim just as many questions as she asked Jason - How was school? Had he finished his homework? Had he taken any nice photos recently?

Tim loved Bruce, but spending time with Selina was an entirely different situation and he found himself beginning to love her as well. Where Bruce was hard on him in order to push him to his best, Selina was just a steady stream of encouragement. Where Bruce was quiet and content to just listen to Tim, Selina was constantly talking and laughing. Where Bruce gave physical affection sparingly, Selina was constantly giving hugs and kisses on cheeks.

Having both of them made Tim wonder if this feeling of being so incredibly loved and cared for by two people was what it was like to have parents that cared.

* * *

"Tim," Jason said as he walked out of the bookstore. He and Tim had gone inside together earlier, but then Jason had found a worn copy of MacBeth and burst out into the Is This a Dagger soliloquy in the middle of the stacks. Tim had spent a few seconds trying to get him to stop before he'd turned and left the store which had only caused Jason to do the soliloquy louder. He'd bought a few books after to make up for taking the shop over like that, so his head was ducked as he rummaged through the bag as he walked down the sidewalk to where he'd seen Tim standing when he'd been checking out. "I can't believe you walked out on me like that. I was doing a great job, you know? Even the clerk thought so, babybird."

"Did she?" Tim's voice was choked. It wasn't distressed enough for Jason to actually be worried but he was clearly uncomfortable with something.

Jason looked up from the bag, eyebrows knitted in confusion.

He stopped when he saw who was standing with Tim.  
  
Bruce Wayne stood in front of Tim, practically towering over him and seeming to be at least twice as wide, in a white button up and black slacks. A pair of sunglasses that Jason thought were probably worth more than every piece of clothing Jason had on combined were pushed up into his hair.

Jason wasn't expecting it, but part of him found Bruce Wayne more intimidating like this than he was when he was in costume.

Jason couldn't beat Batman, but at least he had some idea how to handle him.

"Hello, Jason," Bruce said.

"Um..." Jason struggled to figure out what he was supposed to say to Bruce. "Hi."

Bruce's lips twitched, amused.

There was a moment of silence as Bruce's eyes slid over to Tim. "I wasn't aware the two of you knew each other."

"Yeah," Tim said. Jason watched as Tim shifted his weight from foot to foot. Despite the discomfort in Tim's body language, Tim's words were steady. "What are you doing down here? I thought you'd be working for a few more hours."

It wasn't incredibly obvious, but Bruce's amusement only seemed to grow when Tim questioned him. He wasn't quite smiling, but there was a slight turn to his lips and a dim light in his eyes. It was even in his voice when he answered, "I was. I had a business lunch up the street. I saw you standing over here. I thought I'd come see what you were doing and if you needed a ride home." He looked over at Jason before looking back at Tim. "What were you doing out here by yourself if you two came here together?"

"Jason was being embarrassing," Tim deadpanned without so much as a pause.

"I was not," Jason argued. He felt indignant enough at the comment to momentarily forget that Bruce was there.

"You were doing a soliloquy in the store," Tim said.

"It was not embarrassing," Jason said. "I did that soliloquy _well_. It would only have been embarrassing if I hadn't done it right."

Tim tipped his head, shooting a look at Jason. There was a sharp, exasperated look in his eyes. It was the kind of look which said he very clearly expected Jason to give in and agree with him.

Jason shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "Don't give me that look. I'm not wrong."

They stared each other down. They were both stubborn people and standoffs like this were frequent between them.

After a few moments, Jason straightened up. He unfolded his arms, lifting one hand and reaching out for Tim. Tim reeled back, used to Jason poking and flicking him, but Jason stopped before he reached him. Instead, he closed his hand around air. It was struggle to keep himself from snickering, but he managed to keep his face straight as he said, "Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and-"

"Shut up," Tim said, groaning. Though the gesture generally portrayed irritation, there was mirth in Tim's eyes as he reached out to smack Jason's hand down. "Loser."

"Well," Bruce said, drawing their attention back to him. Jason coughed awkwardly as he looked over at him. "I'm going to assume that you two are going to stay out a while longer? You usually aren't home this early."

Tim looked away from Jason, turning to Bruce. He watched him for a moment before saying, "We're going to go out to lunch."

"Okay," Bruce said with a small nod. Jason was thrown by how approving it looked. "Make sure your back for dinner, Tim."

"I'll be there," Tim agreed.

Jason thought Bruce was going to leave then, but instead he looked over at Jason. "And Jason, why don't you have dinner with us tonight?"

Jason didn't want to say yes, but it seemed rude to say no. So he settled for, "I'll have to make sure it's okay with Selina first."

"Of course," Bruce agreed. "I'll call her as well and make sure it's okay."

Before either of them could say anything, Bruce said a quick goodbye and headed back down the street to the restaurant his car was at.

* * *

Jason had been hoping that Selina would tell him he couldn't go to Wayne Manor for dinner, but things didn't go that way. Instead by the time he called Selina, putting it off until he had decided there was no way he could just pretend the invitation had never happened, Bruce had already called Selina to check with her himself. Jason didn't know what had been said, but the way that Selina laughed when they were saying goodbye probably meant something that wouldn't be great for him.

Despite the mild fear that his conversation with Selina had stirred up, Jason found that dinner at Wayne Manor that night wasn't actually that bad. The Wayne's were a family of money and Bruce had been born into that unlike Selina who had fought her way there tooth-and-nail. So Jason hadn't exactly been expecting dinner at the manor to be pizza in front of the TV, but it wasn't exactly as odd as he was expecting it to be either. Sitting at a large table with Tim across from him and Bruce at the head of the table while a butler served them was strange, but the conversation was much the same as it was when he was at home. Bruce asked Tim about his day. Tim didn't ramble the same way Jason did when talking to Selina, but there was a clear conversation between the two of them even though they didn't say as much. When Bruce asked for elaboration on something, it was always clear just how genuinely he cared about Tim and what he was saying. At some point, Bruce's questions shifted from Tim over to Jason. The transition was so smooth that Jason didn't realize he was being interviewed, that Bruce was trying to figure out if Jason was someone that he could trust to be friends with Tim, until he'd been talking for almost three minutes about why he was so against Romeo and Juliet.

Still, Jason must have passed because when Bruce dropped him off at the apartment later he made it clear that Jason should drop by the manor again some time. Being taken in by Selina had complicated Jason's feelings about him, but he was still just a boy from Crime Alley and there was something about having Batman's approval that made Jason giddy.

Tim and Jason still spent a good portion of their time out and about, but with both of their guardians knowing that they were spending their time with each other they started spending more time at their houses as well.

Days where they were filled with energy were spent doing things outside. They found a place with rope courses that they liked to go to on the weekends and on weekdays they were content to do something simple like mini-golfing or throwing a frisbee in the park. On those days they always ended up spending time at Selina and Jason's apartment. They played video games, Tim usually won at Mario Kart but Jason had a knack for winning Mario Party with the bonus stars, and card games, Jason was pretty sure Tim could read minded given how often he won Go Fish but Tim was certain Jason had sold his soul given the luck he had when playing Skipbo. Everything was fun and exciting and they spent as much time laughing at each other as they did yelling about whatever injustice they served each other.

Days where they were running low on energy were spent inside. They'd sit inside coffee shops, Tim drinking coffee and Jason drinking things that were more sugar than caffeine, or diners and talk themselves in meandering circles. It was on those days when they talked about improbable scenarios, would it be better to have lobster claws as hands or to have eight legs like a spider, and shared whatever came to their mind. When their low energy got the best of them and they were sick of being out with other people, they'd go to the manor where things tended to be a little more quiet and relaxed. They'd curl up in the love seats in the library. Sometimes they'd curl up together on the sofa in the den so they could watch a movie, content with butter-sticky hands and a throw blanket covering them.

The more time they spent at the manor, the more time Jason spent with the people who lived in it.

He started spending time with Alfred, who always had a recommendation for something in the library and spoke enough languages for Jason to practice whatever he wanted. Jason hated waiting around for Tim to finish his homework, so he took to seeking out Alfred in those moments. He'd sit on the counter in the kitchen if it were near dinner time, asking Alfred questions about whatever he was making or helping himself when Alfred would let him. If it was too early for that, Jason would search Alfred out in the house and lend him a hand while listening to whatever stories Alfred was willing to tell him that day.

Spending time at the manor also meant spending more time with Bruce. At first Jason didn't know how to respond to Bruce, but as time went on he started opening up to Bruce. When Bruce came home from Wayne Enterprises to find that Jason and Tim were around, he always asked both of them how they were doing. At first Jason had been hesitant, unsure whether Bruce actually wanted an answer from him or if Bruce was just asking because Jason was there. The more time he spent at the manner the more sure he became that Bruce actually wanted to know what he had to say. The more Bruce gave him looks and responses that made Jason feel like he actually _cared_ what Jason had to say. There started being days when Jason would lift up on his knees on the couch, leaning over the back of it so he could tell Bruce something that had happened.

Wayne Enterprises stopped work early every Friday, giving even the employees that would end up working over the weekend time to enjoy with their families. Bruce and Tim had a tradition of spending time together every Friday, Bruce stopping work when the rest of the company did so he could either pick Tim up from school or meet him at the manor. Tim had once confessed to Jason that while he didn't mind them, it was Bruce who insisted on it and he thought the reason might have involved Dick.

For most of their friendship Friday's had been the one day Jason and Tim didn't spend time together, but as Jason started spending more time at the manor he started getting invited to spend Friday's with them until it was just a given that Selina wouldn't see him until late that night. Sometimes Bruce took them to some sort of museum or play, they drove to New York City to see the Broadway production of Wicked, and sometimes he took them tubing or skydiving. They always ended the day with dinner out. Sometimes the boys could convince Bruce to take them someplace greasy like a McDonald's or Arby's since they almost never ate fast food, but usually it was some family restaurant that laid somewhere between middle and high class.

Slowly, the list of people that Jason considered unbelievably lucky to have in his life, the list of people that made him think family and wonder if this was what he had been missing during the early years of his life, came to include Bruce and Alfred.

* * *

"Now, Bruce, I know you know it's rude to do work when you have guests over."

Looking away from his phone, Bruce found Selina was standing in front of him. She was wearing a black tank top with red and pink flowers over it and light jeans with the bottoms rolled up into cuffs with a pair of pink heels. She had a dark blue jacket thrown over her shirt. She looked beautiful.

Before Bruce could answer her, Jason came out of the back door. He wore a pair of dark jeans with an off white sweatshirt. He'd thrown his leather jacket on over his sweatshirt, though Bruce thought that would probably get shredded soon given the warm temperature. It wasn't exactly warm, but it wasn't cold enough to warrant both layers either. There was a dark plastic bag in his hands.

"Hi Bruce," Jason greeted.

"Hello Jason," Bruce returned, smiling a bit at the sight of him.

Jason and Selina had been out of town for a few days, Jason hadn't said specifically where they were going but given some reports of a stolen painting Bruce guessed they'd been in France, so it'd been a while since Bruce had seen him. Jason had quickly wormed himself into Bruce's heart, inserting himself right next to Tim and Dick. Bruce hadn't quite been worried about him, but he was glad to see him healthy and intact.

"Tim!" Jason called, barely sparring Bruce another look as he caught sight of Tim. The younger of the two had been sitting at the picnic table, having been texting Jason before he'd arrived, while Bruce was standing near the grill after having made sure it was ready for the afternoon. . "Selina and I stopped and got the new issue of Daredevil! Do you want to read it with me?"

"Yes!"

"Hey," Selina said, reaching out to put her hand on Bruce's hip. The touch had his attention turning away from his sons, focusing on her instead. "Thank you for inviting me. I would have let Jason come regardless."

It had honestly never occurred to Bruce not to invite Selina.

When Jason and Tim, though mostly Jason, had started making noise about it being spring and the weather being nice again, Bruce had thought the natural thing to do was to throw some kind of barbecue. He'd only invited his closest family and friend. He'd invited Barbara and her father, the Fox's, and Doctor Thompkins. He'd given Alfred the day off so he could join them and even asked Dick to come, though Barbara had told him that his oldest son had no intention of showing up. And Selina was part of that group.

The relationship between them was odd, something which usually kept him from involving her in things like this, but she was a mother to Jason and Tim which changed things.

Even if it _had_ occurred to him not to include Selina, he still would have invited her. It wasn't a family gathering unless all of them were invited.

He didn't think now was the time to say that though. He'd invited them to come over earlier, knowing that Jason and Tim would appreciate the time together before Barbara and Tamara arrived given the separation of the past few days, but the others wouldn't be much longer.

"It's no problem," Bruce said instead. Then, "I'm glad you came."

"I'm glad I came," Selina answered. She smiled, the soft sort of thing that he only got when they were out of costume. It lasted only a moment before stretching into something he was more use to. "And it's apparently a very good thing I did. When we came in Alfred said you guys didn't have any pie."

"You brought pie?"

"Oreo cream," Selina said. "I can't believe you didn't give him the day off for this."

"I did," Bruce answered. "He just insisted on cooking still."

"Actually, that's probably for the best," Selina said. She patted her hand against his arm, mocking in her sympathy. "We all know you can't."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter? It was a lot of fun to set up this ~family~ vibe that's going to end up being sort of a central point for this fic. 
> 
> 2) [Apartment](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/28/9e/87/289e87fb55912e47ff0794a4814227ca.jpg) inspiration and [casual](https://cdn.tobi.com/product_images/md/1/burgundy-comfort-zone-cardigan.jpg) Selina inspiration. 
> 
> 3) The quotes on Jason's wall are "“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten" from Coraline, "“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." from Northanger Abbey, and "“... a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge." from A Game of Thrones.
> 
> 4) I wanted to include more about Selina's relationship with Jason and Tim, but I ended up having a pretty long section there already. So Selina's ended up being more about softer things while Bruce's ended up being about things he does with the boys. 
> 
> 5) I hate the scene with Bruce. I feel like it came out so awkward. It might have been better to write it from Tim's point of view, but I wanted to write the first scene from Tim's point of view....
> 
> 6) Both the interludes are so long but I had so much I wanted to say about their developing relationships with their respective non-guardian parents. Bc there's some major co-parenting that's gonna happen in this series. Still, it does focus more on Jason and Tim's relationship (which is a romantic relationship when theyre older). 
> 
> 7) Here is [Selina's](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/53/42/b8/5342b8c208a2bdf3bde56b5475d84004.jpg) outfit for the final section and here is [Jason's](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/03/b8/60/03b860273b32d81ddbd191be43ee7c48.jpg).
> 
> 8) Jason and Tim are reading the 2002-2006 run of Daredevil which gives you vague dates for the timeline of this series. 
> 
> 9) As you can tell, I'm experimenting with the wider range of Batman characters and the family they've created within Gotham. At this point, everyone knows about Bruce being Batman. 
> 
> 10) The chapter title is a quote by Jim Butcher. The full quote is: “When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching -- they are your family.”


	4. Just a Little Bitty Living Room

"This sucks," Jason said.

He and Tim were sitting in the living room in Wayne Manor.

It wasn't the den they used for guests, but the room that the family kept to themselves for relaxing. The couch was a little worn, but it was comfortable and nice to lay on. There was a colorful throw blanket over the back of since Tim had a bad habit of passing out right on the couch after patrol, too tired to make it up to his room. There was a TV in the room, not used too frequently but often enough that the stand under it had a collection of recently watched DVD cases and the remote didn't have dust on it.

The den was filled with art, but the living room was filled with photos. There were photos of Bruce and his parents as well as a young Bruce with Alfred, all old but well taken care of. There were photos of Dick - one of him as a child with the certificate that made him Bruce's ward legally in his hands with Bruce next to him, one of him right in the middle of his awkward pubescent years with dirt on his cheeks but a smile on his face, one of him with Bruce and Alfred the day he'd graduated high school that had Dick already leaning towards Alfred given that his and Bruce's relationship had already started fracturing. There were photos of Bruce with Tim and Bruce with Jason, photos of the three of them together, photos of Jason and Tim together. There was even a singular photo of Bruce, Selina, Tim, and Jason from the barbecue they'd had recently.

The room was just cozy. It was more dressed down then the areas of the house they had guests in, portraying the family that shared the house more than the persona of it.

"I know," Tim said.

He'd been listening to Jason complain about this since they'd gotten out of school, so he wasn't paying much attention to him now. The way they were sitting, Tim sitting against the armrest while Jason was laid on his stomach with his cheek against Tim's thigh, made it easy for Tim to focus on the book he was reading rather than the drama queen in his lap.

"This sucks," Jason repeated. He kicked his legs childishly. "This sucks, this sucks, this sucks."

"Yup," Tim said.

He was reading The Book Thief. The book had come out only a few months ago, but Tim's entire class was talking about it. On top of that Jason had furthered their recommendations by shoving it into Tim's hands, saying that he'd cried when he read it so Tim needed to read it as well. It was turning out to be every bit as good as the others had implied, so Tim was more focused on reading it than indulging Jason's meltdown.

Jason had his arms wrapped around Tim's waist, finding it more comfortable than having them at his side, and he tightened them as he groaned. Pressing his forehead further against Tim's thigh, he said, "You're so unsympathetic to my plight."

Before Tim could say anything else, a new speaker cut in, "Tim, are you in here bullying Jason again?"

"Yes," Jason said.

At the same time, Tim responded, "No."

Bruce laughed, a low amused rumble. "Well then."

Looking up from his book, Tim found Bruce standing in the living room doorway. He made it a point to be home before dinner every night, trying his best not to schedule business dinners, so Tim wasn't that surprised to see him given that he could already smell the dinner Alfred was cooking for them. Still Bruce must have been home for a little while since he'd stripped out of his suit, already wearing light jeans and a dark sweater instead.

"I'm not bullying him," Tim said. "Jason is just being dramatic."

"I'm not being dramatic," Jason argued. "This is a perfectly reasonable reaction."

"What exactly is it that Jason may or may not be being dramatic about?" Bruce asked.

"Selina and I are going out of the country for a job," Jason said. Briefly, Tim thought about the fact that Jason was telling that to Bruce outright.  Jason wasn't telling Bruce _exactly_ where he and Selina were going, but it wouldn't be hard for Bruce to figure it out if he did a little research. But Jason was trusting that Bruce wouldn't interfere with the work they were doing. "But there's a production of Arsenic and Lace downtown this weekend that I wanted to go to."

"They won't be performing more than one weekend?" Bruce asked.

"They are, but I wanted to see it on it's opening day," Jason said. When he turned his head so he could bury his face in Tim's thigh, Tim reached out with one hand to get his hands in Jason's hair. He scratched at Jason's scalp, knowing that Jason would find it soothing. Especially considering what he knew Jason was going to say. "My mother loved Arsenic and Lace. She saw it when she was younger."

They didn't talk about Jason's mother much, but he carried a great deal of fondness for her despite the fact that she hadn't been a fantastic mother.

There was a quiet moment, Bruce and Tim both looking at Jason and Jason hiding his face in Tim's thigh.

After a moment, Bruce said, "You know, Jason, I'm sure Selina could do the job by herself."

"I don't want Selina to get angry at me for ditching her," Jason said. "It's my job to help her."

"I think Selina will understand as long as you don't make a habit out of it," Bruce said. Tim didn't think Selina would care even if Jason made a habit out of it, if Jason decided he didn't want to be Stray anymore. Jason was her son regardless of what he did at night. But he knew it was hard for Jason to accept that. Bruce crossed the room, perching on the end of the couch. He set his hand on Jason's ankle. "And you're more than welcome to stay here while she's out of town."

Jason was quiet for a minute before he said, "I don't know...."

"That's alright," Bruce said. He gave Jason's ankle a soft squeeze. "The offer is open, though, if you decide you want to take it."

* * *

In the end Jason decided to stay in Wayne Manor instead of going out of the country with Selina.

Tim wasn't exactly sure how it had come about, but he thought it had probably involved a lot of Selina and Bruce talking amongst themselves as well as a few heart-to-heart conversations between Jason and Selina. Despite all that Tim was certain was going on behind the scenes, he knew that as much as Jason considered Bruce and Alfred family the main reason he was comfortable enough with leaving Selina's care to stay with them was because Tim would be there.

Tim had never doubted his relationship with Jason. They were so close that Tim had no doubt that their futures would be intimately tied for the rest of their lives. Still, it was nice sometimes to see it reaffirmed like this. Tim had never doubted it, but sometimes it was nice to know that Jason cared for him every bit as much as Tim cared for Jason.

Still even knowing that their bond was what it was and that Jason would never really leave him, Tim found it comforting to have Jason in the house with him.

Alfred and Bruce had put a room together for Jason, but instead of using it Jason ended up sleeping in Tim's room.

The first day it had been unintentional, the two of them retreating there to watch a movie after Alfred gave them a look that made it clear it was far too late for them to be goofing around in the living room. They ended up falling asleep in the middle of the movie, Jason lying on his stomach in one direction while Tim was sat up against the headboard with his legs over Jason's back. Tim had woken up in the middle of the night, neck hurting from the position he'd fallen asleep in, but he'd just shifted so he could curl up into Jason's side.

The next day was a little more intentional. They set themselves up on Tim's floor with their homework, wanting to do it on Friday night so that they could go see the production of Arsenic and Lace that had kept Jason in town on Saturday, but even though they were already yawning, when their homework was done they crawled into Tim's bed together to watch the newest episode of Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman. They fell asleep with Jason curled around Tim's back, having been pressed close so he could see the TV over Tim's shoulder.

The third night, when the two of them and Bruce got back from the production they were too exhausted to even pretend they were going to sleep in separate rooms. They made their way to Tim's bedroom together, collapsing into a pile of limbs sprawled across the mattress.

Selina was back that Monday, leaving Jason at the manor for only four days, but it was long enough for a pattern to start.

While they still spent most of their time with their respective guardians, both Jason's bedroom in Selina's apartment and Tim's bedroom in Wayne manor became Jason-and-Tim's room. They frequently spent weekends with the other. It wasn't odd to find Tim's Robin suit locked up with Selina and Jason's suits, Tim bringing it over so he could go on patrol or putting it away when he came back to Selina and Jason's after one. Jason and Selina didn't operate as often as Tim and Bruce did, so sometimes Stray could be found out on patrol with Batman and Robin.

It was unconventional, but they lived unconventional lifestyles as it was.

Things slotted into place for all of them a little too well for anyone to fight it.

* * *

"You boys are still in here playing video games?"

Jason had been watching as Tim played, their character jumping towards their target as he let out another shout of "Dance, Water, Dance", but now he turned away from the TV screen. Tim and Jason were taking full advantage of their summer vacation and were both still wearing pajamas, Jason dressed in just his pajama pants while Tim wore boxers and a tee-shirt, but Selina had already been out for the day. She stood in the entrance way wearing a pretty dress, the top a white tee-shirt while the bottom was a dark black skirt covered in pink roses and a large sunhat.

"Yeah," Jason said. He reached down, grabbing a hand full of popcorn from the bowl in his lap. "We haven't beaten the game yet."

"We haven't even beaten this _boss_  yet," Tim said, his frustration obvious in his voice.

"Want me to try?" Jason offered. They'd been passing the controller off most of the time, usually switching with each of the World. Even though Hollow Bastion was Tim's world, Jason thought he could probably use a break given how angry he seemed to be getting.

"No," Tim answered without a second of hesitation. "I'm going to beat him myself."

"Alright." Jason figured he'd give Tim a few more tries before suggesting they play something else. If Tim wanted to beat the boss himself that was fine, but he definitely needed a cool down break.

"Are you boys going to spend your entire vacation like this?" Selina asked.

"Maybe," Jason said. "It's not like we don't go out and exercise. Tim goes on patrol every night. We might as well spend the summer sleeping until noon and playing video games."

"That doesn't sound like a very good plan to me," Selina said. Humming, she suggested, "Why don't we take a little trip? Not a business trip, but something fun since you're on vacation."

Jason thought about it for a moment. He and Selina did a lot of traveling, but Jason didn't get to spend much time actually enjoying the places they went. The work they did involved a lot of sleeping during the day, working through the homework he needed to do before he returned to school in the evenings, and staking out during the night. They usually had to leave as soon as the job as been done as well.

"Vacation sounds fun," Jason said. "Tim can come with us?"

"Of course. It won't kill Bruce to work by himself for a few days," Selina said. "When are your parents coming back in town, Tim? We'll need to make sure you're home when they are."

"Next week," Tim said. "But I can call and get permission to go out of town. They won't care."

Tim was focused on the game, so he didn't see the way Selina's smile wavered and Jason's fists clenched. They weren't new to Tim's parents disregard for Tim, he didn't talk about them often but that said a lot all by itself, but they continued to be angry and just completely confused by it. Tim was amazing, an addition to their family that made their lives a hundred times better, and they couldn't process why anyone would throw him away the way his parents had. They were thankful that his parents actions had allowed Tim into their life, but they couldn't forgive the pain they had caused him either.

"Okay," Selina said. Her voice was soft. It didn't portray her anger, but rather a sadness about Tim's situation and a desire to make things better for him. "You boys figure out where you want to go, okay? Anywhere but Peru."

"Why not Peru?" Tim questioned, looking away from the game momentarily.

"Jason got us banned."

"I didn't get us banned!" Jason squawked. "I was just doing what you told me too!"

"Still banned," Selina said. Crossing the room, she paused by the couch to ruffle both of their hair before walking through. "Let me know if you get hungry for something other than junk food. We can order something for lunch."

"Sushi?" Jason asked.

"Sure, if that's what you want."

Before Jason could confirm, Tim let out an angry scream. "How did he kill me? I had full health and I only looked away for a second!"

* * *

Though they'd never been to Europe together, all three of them had been before. Jason and Selina had been in Belgium only a few months ago for a job and Tim's parents had let him join them for a trip they'd taken to Russia the previous summer. So despite Jason and Selina being banned from Peru, the three of them ended up taking their vacation in Latin America.

After Jason complained about his Portuguese needing work, it was the language he spoke best outside of English and Spanish but his fluency in Spanish tripped him up since he didn't practice nearly often enough, they decided to spend two weeks in Brazil.

Selina insisted that the boys could do with some exercise after spending the last few weeks on the couch, so they spent their first week enjoying some of the more remote scenery.

They went to see the Iguaçu Falls down where Brazil met Paraguay and Argentina. Jason enjoyed the whoosh of the waterfall in his ears, the feeling of misty water on his face even though the falls themselves were still a distance away. Tim mostly took pictures of the falls, they were _beautiful_ and he was eternally grateful that he'd brought his camera with him, but sometimes he would find him turning the lens on Jason when the older boy was looking at the falls. Sometimes Selina managed to steal the camera from Tim's hands so she could take a picture of the boys together or ask someone else on the bridges with them to take a picture of all three of them.

They went to the top of the country afterwards, taking a boat tour around the Anavilhanas Islands. Tim took a few photos of the animals on their tour, but mostly he got distracted by Jason. They'd sat near the front of the boat, giving Jason the opportunity to ask their tour guide for lessons on how to impersonate the calls they heard so often. Some of them Jason picked up easily, his bird calls impressed the entire boat, but others he was so bad at that Tim couldn't stop laughing at him. Selina was mostly content to sit back, watching the boys amuse themselves, but sometimes she would pipe up with a suggestion to improve Jason's calls or come out of nowhere with a perfect imitation of an animal call that shocked them both speechless.

They went to the coast next, spending their first weekend in Brazil at Porto de Galinhas. Jason had wanted to go scuba diving, claiming that he wanted to see the coral reefs even though Tim knew he was mostly in it for the shipwrecks, but Selina had vetoed that. Jason tried to argue that Selina trusted them to fight crime at night so obviously they where old enough to go diving, but she just waved him off. They did go out to the reef pools though, standing ankle deep in water as fish swam around them and nipped at their skin. As a consolation for not letting them go scuba dive, Selina took them to Maracaipe for surfing lessons, something which Jason ate up and which Tim attempted for about an hour before deciding he'd rather take photos on the beach.

They spent their second week in Brazil in Rio de Janeiro. They'd argued a bit about it at first, Jason had wanted to travel more and Tim really wanted to see some of the art museums in Sao Paulo, but Selina had insisted that after a week of traveling to see the sights it would do them all good to settle in Rio for a week. She promised to bring them again sometime, to take them to Sao Paulo and anywhere else they wanted to go.

They went strolling through Lapa one night. Jason fit in seamlessly with the people. Jason was the type of person that people flocked to, demeanor easy and his amusement genuine. He could be awkward at times, but it was hard not to be charmed by someone who cared so much. So when the parties in the bars around them spilled into the street, Jason let himself be led into sambas by strangers. Tim was content to stay at Selina's side, enjoying the music and the brightness of the neighborhood, but once Jason was sure of his steps he'd dragged both of them into dancing with him. Tim was clumsy and awkward, being Robin hadn't changed the fact that he was better with his mind than his body, but he trusted Jason and let him lead.

They went to the botanical gardens. Tim spent the afternoon staring at everything in wonder, the camera in his hands constantly going off as he tried to capture the experience. Jason laughed at him for taking so many pictures, but Tim shook him off. The gardens were beautiful and maybe he couldn't shoot all six hundred species of orchid in the garden, but he could at least get a hundred of them.

They spent some time on Copacabana. Selina lounged on the sand in a black one piece swimsuit, the sides of it cut up to show smooth strips of skin. Mostly she just laid there tanning, content with having this time to do absolutely nothing, but sometimes the boys would look over to find her sending a text message or taking a picture of them. Jason was active the entire time, playing volleyball or soccer with other beach goers. He's good at it too, nimble and quick. Tim didn't want to play himself, but he cheered for Jason as loudly as possible and booed when it was appropriate. When Jason's skin was sunkissed and Tim's shoulders pink, Jason would pull Tim into the water to cool down.

Every night Tim and Jason sat down on the bed they were sharing and called Bruce to talk before he left for patrol. Sometimes talking to Alfred for a few moments after Bruce left. Afterwards, when Selina had spoken to Bruce for a few moments to assure him that everything was going okay and Jason wasn't omitting anything from his stories, there were silly hotel shenanigans. There were pillow fights and the watching of shitty telenovelas and so much candy that Tim forgot what his mouth tasted like when it wasn't coated with sugar.

It was fun.

Tim had been out of the country before, but it had never been anything like this. He'd never really been on a family _vacation_  before, usually he was just a tag along when his parents were on a business trip that required someone to interact with the child of a partner.

He hadn't minded those trips, he'd seen some spectacular things, but he preferred this.

He had more fun with Jason and Selina, felt more safe and loved and was able to enjoy more of where they were, then he'd ever felt when he was with his parents.

* * *

"Oh!" Out of the corner of his eyes, Tim saw a flash of dark skin as arms came down on either side of him. Glancing down, he saw that a milkshake had been placed on either side of him. One was Raspberry-Lemon, a favorite of Jason's, while the other was Cookies and Cream, Tim's favorite. "You got Twizzlers."

"I wanted them," Tim said.

He was sitting on a bench in the park near the place they liked to get milkshakes from with a bag of Twizzlers in one hand. It was a small diner that they got them from. The food was okay, but it wasn't a place they liked to eat at all the time. Their milkshakes were the best in the city, though, so the two of them usually popped in and got them to go.

Jason hummed, dropping down so his arms were around Tim and his chin was on Tim's head. Reaching a hand out, he requested, "Gimme one."

"No way," Tim objected. "I walked all the way across the park to get these."

"I walked all the way to the diner for our milkshakes," Jason argued.

"That doesn't entitle you to my Twizzlers!"

"Tim, come on." When Tim didn't budge, Jason leaned so his chest was pressed against Tim's back. It forced Tim to lean forward uncomfortably. "Tim. Timothy. Timbo. Timmy. Timbuktu. Tim-"

"Fine!" Tim exclaimed. "You can have a Twizzler, oh my god."

"Awesome, thank you," Jason said, as if he hadn't annoyed Tim into agreeing.

As he reached forward to grab a Twizzler from the bag, Tim tilting the bag back so Jason could get into it, there was a soft laugh in front of them. It wasn't malicious, just soft and amused. There was an affectionate tint to it.

Looking up, Tim found an older woman standing in front of the bench he and Jason were on. She wasn't old enough for her hair to have turned gray, though Tim could see strands of silver in her brown hair, but she did look to be at least a few years older than Bruce or Selina. Not by much, though. She was holding a red leash in her hands, walking a small spaniel down the park paths.

Her voice just as amused as her laugh was as she said, "I didn't mean to interrupt you. You just remind me of my sons when they were your age. Cory always put up a fight when it came to sharing with his big brother, but he always gave in."

"We're not brothers," Jason and Tim piped up at the same time.

"Oh! You're not?" the woman said, looking genuinely surprised. She was quiet for a moment, her head tilting as she inspected them. After a moment she said, "I suppose not actually." As the dog in her hands started to walk away, she added, "Well, I'm sorry for bothering you. It was a nice memory to remember. Thank you, boys."

Tim watched her as she walked away, wondering about what she said.

He wondered why she had said what she had said at the end, about supposing that they weren't brothers.

At the same time, he wondered about _why_  he didn't consider Jason his brother. They shared Selina and Bruce the way brothers shared parents, but Tim had never once so much as considered the idea that Jason was his brother. He even considered Dick, who was kind when they did talk but generally preferred not to speak with Tim, a brother and Barbara a sister of sorts. But not once had he thought about Jason as his sibling even though Jason was the person he was closest to in his life. He considered him family, yes, but Jason wasn't his brother.

Jason was just...different.

Tim didn't have any more time to dwell on it, to puzzle out what it was about his feelings for Jason that were so different from his feelings for the rest of his family, because his attention was captured by Jason leaning over him.

"Are you dunking your Twizzler in your milkshake?" Tim asked, horrified by the idea of a Twizzler ducked in Raspberry-Lemon.

"Yup." Jason lifted the Twizzler, biting off the entirety of the section he'd dipped in the milkshake. "It's good."

"I really really doubt that," Tim said.

"It's good," Jason repeated. Leaning forward, he dunked the milkshake again before holding it to Tim's lips. "Try it."

"No," Tim objected, shaking his head vehemently. "Somethings just shouldn't be eaten together, Jay!"

"Oh come on, babybird," Jason said, nudging the licorice against Tim's lips. Determined not to let Jason win, Tim pressed his lips tighter and shook his head instead of answering. "It's good! I promise!"

By the time they finished arguing, Jason pinning Tim to the bench and tickling him until he opened his mouth, Tim had already forgotten about the woman and what she'd said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Hi everyone!! I hope you've all been having a good month and that you enjoyed this chapter! It's more family fluff, but I think it establishes some more about the way the boys interact with each other and their parents. There's probably going to be a few more chapters of family stuff since I want to introduce Dick as well, but hopefully you guys are still satisfied with the Jason/Tim interactions even when they're with other people?
> 
> 2) The Book Thief is one of my favorite books. Both back when I was Tim's age and now. 
> 
> 3) I'm a bit worried Jason and Tim's interactions are a bit too physical in this chapter? But I don't think it's TOO much so.
> 
> 4) Fetch with Ruff! Ruffman was also one of my favorite tv shows back then. 
> 
> 5) Both of these things date this fic, reaffirming that it's 2006 in these chapters. 
> 
> 6) Jason and Tim are playing Kingdom Hearts II. Specifically that FUCKING Demyx battle that is the bane of everyone's existence. 
> 
> 7) Lil unsure of the Tim&Selina&Jason scene. I don't think I explained their feelings properly there. 
> 
> 8) I was going for "worried dad who's family went on vacation without him" in the brief Bruce bit in the second interlude. Mightve hit "dad whose ex wife just took their kids in vacation without him for the first time and he doesn't trust her" instead. 
> 
> 9) [Selina's swimsuit](https://media.missguided.com/s/missguided/L3224260_set/1/black-bandage-strappy-side-swimsuit.jpg?%24category-page__grid--1x%24) on the note of that section. 
> 
> 10) [Here](https://www.thetoptens.com/favorite-milkshake-flavor/) are some popular milkshake flavors.
> 
> 11) Chapter title from Josh Turner's "Why Don't We Just Dance". It's definitely not a little bitty living room in this situation, but I wanted to emphasis them living together and having fun and that stuff.


	5. A Garden That Needs Constant Attention

Jason woke up to the sound of the manors door opening.

Tim had caught the flu from one of his classmates. Since Jason hadn't listened to anybody's warnings to stay away from Tim, Jason had ended up catching it from Tim which led to the two of them sleeping on the couch even though it was the middle of a Tuesday afternoon.

They were curled up together. Jason had his back against the couch while Tim was facing Jason. Their legs were a tangle of limbs and Tim had one arm thrown over Jason while Jason had one tucked under Tim.

Jason was still running a fever and his entire body was hot, so he was wearing a pair of loose black basketball shorts. He'd had his shirt on when they'd decided to lay on the couch, thinking it would be easier for Alfred to check on them if they were downstairs, but at some point he'd thrown it off because it was too hot with it on. The combination of the fever and Tim's body heat had felt like he was swimming in a volcano. 

Since he'd caught the bug first, Tim was mostly recovered. The flu had taken everything out of him, though, so he was still sleeping it off. He wore a pair of black pajama pants covered with bright yellow stars and a loose tank top. The loose clothes were comfortable and he loved the softness of the textures.

Jason was half asleep and the fever still had him a little groggy, so he didn't immediately notice anything odd about the voice that called out, "Alfred! I'm here!"

Jason assumed it was Bruce and tucked his face back into Tim's collar. It was odd for Bruce to call something like that out, but Jason couldn't think of anyone else who would be visiting and Bruce had been popping in during his lunch breaks to check on them.

Selina had come by a few times as well and Jason had heard Alfred on the phone with her a few times when she wasn't around.He knew she would have taken care of him and that knowing he was sick while he was so far away was worrying her, but Alfred had offered to take care of them both. He'd argued that Selina had things she needed to do during the day and he was more than adept at taking care of sick boys. 

"I don't know if you started lunch already, but if you haven't can we have alfredo? I tried to make it myself and it didn't thicken the way it was supposed to. I was hoping I could watch you and figure out what I did wrong." Jason lifted his head up, realizing that whoever was visiting wasn't Bruce. Not only was the idea of Bruce cooking anything by himself ridiculous, but as the visitor drew closer and his voice fell to a normal level it became more obvious. The speaker's voice was different than Bruce's, a higher octave. Still distinctive masculine, but not quite as low as Bruce's. A moment later, Dick Grayson stepped into the living room. He was wearing black jeans, tight ones that molded to his body perfectly, and a red Flash tee-shirt that brought out the blue color of his eyes. There was a white basket filled with laundry in his hands. He opened his mouth to add something to what he'd been saying, but stopped when he saw Jason and Tim on the couch. Instead of whatever he'd been getting to say, he let out a small, "Oh."

Jason's lips thinned. Rather than saying anything, he just raised an eyebrow.

He'd never bumped into Dick Grayson himself. He'd been operating in Bludhaven as Nightwing since Jason had started as Stray and had people to worry about that caused way more trouble than Catwoman. Selina occasionally went to see him out of costume, but Jason had never gone with her. With the way Bruce and Dick's relationship was, Jason had never bumped into Dick around the manor either.

Despite the fact that they'd never been around each other, Jason wasn't particularly fond of Dick Grayson.

Tim struggled with fitting in with the hero community and most of that was Dick Grayson's fault, even if he hadn't done it intentionally. Most of the younger heroes were Dick's friends. So not only was Dick a little hostile given the way Tim appeared in Bruce's life, but Dick's hostility had rubbed off on some of his friends. None of them were really _mean_ , but they were dismissive and preferred Tim not to work with them. Everyone seemed to feed into the idea that Tim was some sort of replacement for Dick.

Jason thought it was ridiculous and stupid. Tim was a completely separate, amazing person. Bruce didn't take Tim in because Dick was gone, but because Bruce saw another boy who needed someone to take care of him. The amount of love and affection that Bruce had for Tim was completely independent from the same emotions that he had for Dick.

Jason hadn't realized he'd tightened his grip on Tim until he felt him stir in his arms.

"Jay," Tim whined. They'd been pressed almost completely together, but now Tim wiggled to try and put distance between their chests. "You're too hot. Let go."

"Sorry, baby bird," Jason said.

He'd wrapped an arm around Tim, but now he let go so his hand hung off the couch. It gave Tim room so he could shift around if he wanted.

"Um." Even half asleep Tim seemed to be more aware than Jason, because he turned to look at the speaker. Tim just stared at Dick. After a moment, Dick spoke again, "Shouldn't you be at school?"

"Young Masters Timothy and Jason are recovering from the flu." They all looked towards the door as Alfred swept in from the other end. "I meant to call you and reschedule our lunch, but I got caught up in taking care of them. I apologize, Master Richard."

"It's okay. It's not like Bludhaven is that far," Dick said with a slight shake of his head. "I'll just head back and drop by later this week."

"No. You don't have to do that," Tim interrupted. He rolled off the couch, climbing to his feet. He held a hand out for Jason, twining their fingers together and pulling Jason to his feet once Jason grabbed it. Jason noticed his forearms straining a bit. He didn't usually have to pull so much of Jason's weight, but Jason didn't have the energy to stand himself. "Jason and I will go sleep upstairs. You two have your lunch."

"Are you sure?" Dick said. "I don't want to make you move when your sick."

"It's fine," Tim answered with a small shake of his head. "There's no reason for us to kick you out of your home or make you leave when we'll be just as comfortable upstairs as we were down here."

* * *

Jason thought about bringing up what Tim had said to Dick when they got upstairs because it was glaringly obvious that Tim hadn't just been talking about today, but when they got to their bedroom Tim had pretty much just collapsed onto the bed. Tim had looked so terrible, looking fragile and paler than usual given their illness, and the longer Jason stayed awake the more aware he became of just how shitty he felt. So instead of asking about it, Jason just climbed onto the bed with Tim and let Tim curl into a ball against his chest.  
  
It only took another day or two before they were both recovered, but they were both still pretty exhausted.

It was a few more days of spaciness, after school naps, and early bedtimes before they were back on their feet properly.

Once they were though, it became obvious that Dick had taken Tim's final words to heart.

Whereas before Jason never saw Dick, now Dick was showing up every so often and asking them to do things with him.

In the beginning he only seemed concerned with Tim, treating Jason like he was a close friend of Tim's that just happened to be at the house when he showed up, but as time passed he seemed to become more aware that Jason and Tim were closer than most friends and that Jason was family as much as Tim was.

After agreeing to go somewhere with him a few times, Jason realized that Dick liked to go places where he could burn off energy. He took them to a SkyZone where Tim got so comfortable in the foam pit that Jason was honestly worried he was going to take a nap in it, sink to the bottom, and suffocate. In the end Dick had lured Tim out of the pit by promising that they could take a break from jumping and get Dippin' Dots from the small stand near the door. Tim had tried to negotiate, claiming that he'd been up all night and didn't want to jump around anymore, but Jason had jumped into the pit with him. Dick jumped in shortly after and they tickled Tim until he gave in. Dick used his guest passes to take them to a gym in Bludhaven that he had a membership to. Tim couldn't quite keep up with Jason physically, so Jason loved running through the obstacle course outside or racing up the rock wall against Dick. Tim ran with them occasionally. On one occasion Jason and Tim worked together to get Jason the win, Tim pretending to fall off the rope wall so Dick would stop to help him and then dragging Dick into the mud so Jason could pass.

It was after they started spending time with Dick that they started spending more time with Barbara.  
  
Unlike Dick, Barbara had already been a part of their lives - in and out of her costume - and they'd already considered her family to a certain extent. She was in a relationship with Dick, though, so even though her relationship with Bruce was just fine, she kept a little bit of distance in order to support him. Neither Jason or Tim were really offended by her distance since they understood. As much as they loved Bruce they were each other's first priority. Neither of them ever wanted to lose Bruce or Selina, but keeping _each other_  was more important.

Now that Dick seemed to be getting over whatever issues he had with Tim, though, Barbara wasn't so concerned with keeping that distance between them.

At first, the time they spent together was limited to time they spent with Dick. He signed all four of them up for a class on aerial acrobatics. Even though they'd all spent plenty of time practicing in the cave or flying through the streets of Gotham, it was _fun_  to be using those skills for something like this for once. As much fun as Jason had when practicing, though, he found that the most fun he had was sitting back with Tim while Dick helped Barbara and mocking them for every slightly romantic thing they did. It didn't matter whether it was just Dick putting his hands on her hip to shift her or Barbara leaning in to kiss him after she got something right under his instructions. Once Dick managed to convince the three of them to pile into his car so they could make the drive to Mount Tammany. They spent the day walking through the trails, laughing and joking as they enjoyed the fresh air. Dick dropped Jason and Tim off at Selina's apartment that evening. Tim's pale skin was a bright lobster red and Jason was still complaining about Barbara eating all of the M&M's from his trail mix, but when Selina asked them how it had been they were both smiling.

Dick had an entire life in Bludhaven, though, so he only spent so much time in Gotham.

After a while they started spending time with Barbara when he wasn't around as well.

Barbara liked all of the things the rest of them did, was just as adventurous, but when she was with family she tended to be more of a homebody.

While afternoons with Dick were spent out and about, afternoons with Barbara were a little more lowkey. She'd come to the manor and the three of them would watch movies in the den together. Sometimes while they were watching the movie, Barbara would get Jason to paint her nails. He didn't mind doing it since he'd done it for his mother before she died. Sometimes he helped Selina with hers as well. He actually liked it a bit. It was something he'd always done for women he cared about. There was something calming about it as well. There were times when Barbara would come over for lunch and they'd give Alfred the afternoon off to make it themselves. Alfred had tried to argue with them, but they'd called it sibling bonding and insisted he let them do this thing together. Barbara and Jason both knew how to cook, but Tim didn't so usually they just had him chop vegetables. When they were cooking, the kitchen filled with noise. Afternoons like that usually involved Barbara and Jason arguing about changes to the recipe and Tim questioning what some spice they were adding was and all three of them laughing as they shared stories.

Most of their relationship took place away from their parents, but as September started to fade out Selina and Bruce got all four of them tickets to see the Gotham Knights last home game. Bruce and Dick sat as far apart as possible, putting Barbara next to Dick and Selina next to Bruce with Jason and Tim in the middle, but it wasn't nearly as awkward as Jason was expecting it to be.

It actually ended up being a lot of fun. Dick and Barbara laughed as they picked out which players were better looking than Dick, Tim sent Jason into a giggle fit when he dropped a string of ketchup from a hot dog onto the jersey they'd bought when they got to the stadium, and Selina found it incredibly amusing to watch the way Bruce's face scrunched when she made him try some of the one beer she bought. They were all laughing and talking and cheering, enjoying this day together even despite the tension between Bruce and Dick. They even managed to convince Bruce to do the wave and sing Take Me Out to the Ball Game with them even though it was definitely going to end up on the Gotham News that day.

When the game ended and they walked out to their cars, Dick and Barbara having driven together while Bruce drove everyone else, Dick even stepped up to hug Bruce before they parted. Bruce looked surprised at first, but then he'd grabbed onto Dick and held tightly.

Jason didn't think a hug meant they'd fixed anything, but he did think it meant things were at least mending.

That soon there wouldn't be so many cracks in their family.

* * *

"Hey," Tim greeted. "Sorry, I took so long. Someone stopped me at my locker."

Jason was leaning against the wall that surrounded Gotham Academy. It was mid-October and the weather in Gotham was already closer to the gray winter days than the blistering heat of the summer. Tim and his classmates were already dressed in their winter uniforms. Jason was wearing a pair of dark jeans with a white tee-shirt. He'd pulled a brown leather jacket on over the tee-shirt. A red and white flannel was wrapped around his waist. He'd probably been wearing it when he left the house that morning since it had been a bit colder.

Selina and Bruce had asked over the summer if Jason wanted to switch to Gotham Academy since he was starting high school, but Jason had just repeated that going to Gotham Academy would have felt weird and he was content with staying in Gotham Public.

Gotham Public had always gotten out before Gotham Academy, giving Jason the time he needed to come over and pick Tim up from school the way he had since they'd first become friends.

Gotham Public high school got out earlier than their middle school. Which meant now, Jason got out of school a full hour earlier than Tim did now. Jason had decided to use the extra time to get them food that they weren't usually allowed to eat around Selina, Bruce, or Alfred. So Tim wasn't surprised to see the brown paper food bag on the wall next to Jason. 

"Hey," Jason returned, smiling as Tim stopped in front of him. "It's no problem. What'd they want?"

"She'd been out of fifth period for a doctor's appointment, so she just wanted to know what the homework was." Leaning over, Tim grabbed the bag. Even though he was already opening it to peek inside, he asked, "What did you get us?"

"It's just Burger King," Jason said. "I would have gotten something better, but Selina called me after school to remind me to do something and I was running a bit late."

"Burger King is fine," Tim dismissed. He'd never really had fast food before Jason and Selina entered his life, so he hadn't been to very many of the restaurants. Still, he didn't really mind any of the ones they had gone to. Reaching inside for the box that he knew would hold his chicken fries, he asked, "What does Selina need you to do?"

"I've gotta stop at Robins Park," Jason said. Tim froze, looking up at Jason with shock in his eyes. Jason kept going as if he hadn't just dropped a bomb on Tim, asking, "Do you want to come with me?"

"Do I want to come with you to see _Poison Ivy_?" Tim asked, his surprise obvious in his voice.

"I mean you don't _have_  to," Jason said. "But I have to go thank her and Harley for my birthday gifts. Selina and I have been busy so I haven't had the time to go out there and it's been two months, so I really need to go before I get too busy with school and stuff."

"You got _birthday gifts_  from Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn?"

Jason gave Tim a weird look. "Well, yeah. Where else did you think the Venus Flytrap in my room came from? It didn't just magically appear."

"I don't know! I thought Selina had gotten it for you!"

"No," Jason said with a shake of his head. "Ivy got me that and a limited edition copy of The Secret Garden."

Tim had known that Selina had a relationship with Gotham's other prolific femme fatales, but he hadn't realized that Jason had a relationship with them as well. Jason was talking about them like they were his aunts. He was a little distant from them, but they were still close enough for him to get birthday presents from and for him to make the effort to go see them occasionally.

"How did I not know you hung out with Ivy and Harley?" Tim asked, at a loss for an explanation. He couldn't believe he'd missed something this important in Jason's life. They didn't keep secrets like this from each other.

"I try to keep you out of mine and Selina's business since Bruce doesn't approve," Jason said.

"Then why tell me now?" Tim asked. He was still Robin and Bruce was still Batman. Ivy and Harley were still villains, even if they weren't the worst of the lot.

"Because this isn't about birds and bats and cats," Jason said with a small shrug. He shifted a bit, looking Tim in the eyes as he said, "You shared Dick and Barbara with me, so I'm sharing Harley and Ivy with you."

It took Tim a moment to understand it, because Dick and Barbara had always been _theirs_  rather than his, but after a moment he understood what Jason meant. In the same way that their relationship had given Tim a mother in Selina and Jason a father in Bruce, Jason had gotten a brother in Dick and a sister in Barbara.

Now he was giving Tim something else as well - a pair of crazy aunts.

It wasn't necessary, but Tim wasn't going to turn it down either.

"Are you sure?" Tim asked. When Jason raised a confused eyebrow, he added, "That they'll want me there?"

Sure that it would be safe for Robin to visit Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn.

"Oh." Jason didn't so much as hesitate before saying, "It'll be fine. We're just going to thank them for a birthday gift."

It would be safe because it wasn't Robin and Stray going to see Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, but Timothy Drake and Jason Todd going to see Pamela Isley and Harley Quinn. There was a difference, even if sometimes it was hard to remember that the people they were in the masks weren't all they were.

"Okay. I'll come with you then," Tim said, nodding a bit. Putting on a small smile, he said, "I'd rather spend the afternoon with you than at home alone anyway."

* * *

The entrance to Robins park was a complex mess of hedges that started out as brightly colored flowers, beautiful and entrancing, but which faded into tall green shrubby. There was growth over the top of the park which obscured not only any over top view of the area, but also stopped most light from coming in so the pathway was almost entirely black.

Plenty of people had gotten lost in the maze before, but most of them come back out dazed and confused without memory of their time inside. There were exceptions to that, of course. Little girls who were lured in by the beautiful flowers and came out with beautiful crowns on their head. They told stories of the beautiful red haired princess who had woven them for them, how she had made sure to pick out the prettiest flowers for the crown, and how she served the most amazing tea at her tea parties. Teen girls who had been dared to attempt the maze or who had been brave enough to think they could do it without any dare who came out with a singular flower tucked behind their ear. They never told what had happened to them, but there was carried a confidence that they hadn't had before. Grown women who usually wandered in to escape from something, but who came out with a full bouquet of flowers and strength in the line of their shoulders that had been beaten out of them in the days before.

Tim wasn't worried about getting lost.

Not with the way Jason held his hand. Loose. Completely sure that nothing would rip Tim from his grasp as he led him through the hedges.

Even when the flowers faded into the darker parts of the edges were the only light they had were small, thin streams Jason's confidence didn't wobble.

Even when Tim thought he saw the plants moving, shifting around them, Jason took each step with a surety that made it clear how complete his trust was.

The knot of anxiety in Tim's chest slowly eased. He trusted Jason, even before he saw how certain Jason was in his decision. It was easy to walk into something unknown when Jason was there with him. Jason would never take him somewhere that he would get hurt.

When they emerged from the maze, Tim found his breath stolen right out of his lungs.

Back before Ivy had taken it over, Robins Park had had a tiny wooden cabin in it. It had been old, it's dirt floor covered in trash that kids left when playing and the bark of the birch trees it was made of peeling off, but someone, maybe Ivy herself or someone that had stumbled through the maze, had taken the cabin and expanded on it. Now it looked more like a real house, a cozy little cabin with windows that were lined in flowers.

All of the playground equipment was still there and all of it was still in good working order. There was even a small carousel with vines wrapped around the poles that Tim knew hadn't been there before.

He wondered why Ivy had kept it all so neat, why she'd added the carousel. For the little girls who visited her? For Harley? For Jason?

In the end, Tim didn't have much time to dwell on it, because a moment later his attention was captured by the women they were there to visit.

The two of them had been sitting at a small picnic table. They were sitting on the same side of the table, Harley leaning back as she made wide sweeping gestures to accompany the story she was telling while Ivy was leaning forward with her elbow against the table and an affectionate smile on her face as she listened.

Harley was wearing tight black pants with a white crop top that had a giant red heart in the center. Her dark blonde hair was pulled up into pigtails, a crown made of red flowers resting between them. Tim didn't know much about flowers, but he thought they might have been amaryllis. Ivy was wearing a dark green dressed covered in flowers of various shades of red. Her fire-y hair fell freely around her as she watched Harley. It was clear neither of them particularly cared about the rapidly cooling weather.

Tim wasn't sure what he'd been expecting from an afternoon with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, but he definitely didn't expect what happened.

He didn't expect the way Harley jumped up once she saw them, gripping Jason in a tight hug and kissing him on both cheeks as she told him how good it was to see him, or how she moved to Tim immediately, cooing about how nice it was to finally meet him like this since Jason and Selina talked about him so often. He didn't expect the way Ivy waited at the table for Jason to come to her and press a kiss against her cheek or the way she looked at Tim for a moment as if sizing him up before asking if he wanted a flower crown because she always made Jason one when he visited.

When they were all sitting at the table, Jason and Tim on one side while Ivy and Harley sat at the other, he didn't expect the way Harley and Jason suggested flowers for the two new crowns and the way Ivy hummed absently as she completely ignored them. He didn't expect the way her fingers moved so swiftly, gentle and caring, as she laced the stems of the flowers together. He supposed he should have, though, given how much she loved plants. He didn't expect the way she started asking Jason about the plant she'd given him for his birthday, if he was taking care of it properly and if he had named it yet. He didn't expect the way Harley started asking what Jason had been reading lately. She let him ramble about whatever he'd chosen himself before asking him if he'd gotten around to the Secret Garden and what he thought about it. Tim had never heard exactly why Harley was in Arkham, just that she'd been manipulated by the Joker like so many others, but the more she spoke the more Tim started to think he understood why Bruce always looked so _sad_  when it involved Harley Quinn.

The more both of them spoke, not only to Jason but also to Tim once they had caught up with Jason a bit, the more Tim came to understand why Selina and Jason cared about them so much.

Harley and Ivy had done bad things, but Tim didn't think they were bad people.

They had gone through bad things and reacted to them in bad ways.

They weren't like the Joker.

Just knowing that was enough for Tim to relax just a little more around them, opening himself up to learning even more about them and why they were important to the people in his life.

* * *

"Okay so," Jason said, setting down on the laptop on the kitchen island in front of Tim. Tim leaned over, peering at the webpages that Jason had opened, as Jason turned around and started digging through the cabinets. "I bought the ingredients to make those brownies. They should be pretty easy and the decoration on the second recipe is pretty simple so we shouldn't mess up too much as long as we're careful."

Tim hummed as he clicked over to the second tab Jason had open, looking at the decoration on the second type. "Are we still doing one with nuts and one without?"

"Yeah. I think we should do the skeletons with them and the graves without."

"Why?" Tim asked, glancing up at Jason.

Jason looked at Tim over his shoulder, grinning when their eyes caught. "Because then the skeletons have _nuts_ , Timbo."

Tim couldn't help the little laugh that burst out of his mouth, even if the joke was a little juvenile. His laughter just made Jason's smile widen, satisfaction settling in his eyes as he let out a giggle of his own.

The two of them, though mostly Jason, had convinced Bruce to have a Halloween party at the manor. Not really anything big, but something with most of their family. The same people that Bruce had invited to their barbecue over the summer.

Neither of them had really celebrated Halloween before. Tim had never felt like he'd been missing something, but Jason had and now that they had a family he wanted to do _something_  with them even if they weren't trick-or-treating.

They'd told everyone that they all had to have Superhero costumes, an inside joke amongst the group, and that no one who actually was hero was allowed to wear their own. Selina had a Wonder Woman costume, largely because Jason had bullied her into it with his complete admiration for Wonder Woman, and they knew she'd been trying to convince Bruce to go as Superman. The improving relationships in their family meant that Dick had agreed to come and was going as Green Lantern, using Hal Jordan's uniform since he thought it'd be funny to pick one of Bruce's least favorite members of the Justice League. Tim had talked to Tam at school and she'd been wondering if it'd be weird for Barbara if she showed up at Batgirl.

Tim had ended up deciding on Aquaman since he didn't want to wear a mask all night. Jason was still trying to decide between the Flash and Green Arrow. Tim hadn't had many interactions with the Justice League. With the information he did have, he'd determined that he liked Barry more as a person but knew that it was more likely Jason would go with Green Arrow. He liked the idea of being able to shoot nerf arrows at people all night too much to pass it up.

Bruce had wanted to hire a caterer, but Jason had insisted that was too fancy for their party. So instead most of the guests were bringing things with them. Barbara and Dick were bringing cupcakes, Tanya Fox had offered to bring some pretzels and candy apples, Alfred had promised Jason several batches of his famous cookies with a Halloween theme, and Jason had said he and Tim would bake brownies for the entire thing.

Hence why they were sitting in Selina and Jason's kitchen with two pages of brownie recipes open on the laptop.

Tim was excited for the party, but if he was being honest he also liked the moment he was having with Jason right now.

They'd been spending a lot of time with their family recently and Tim was genuinely enjoying all of that time, but he also liked the moments like this.

Moments when it was just him and Jason.

"Alright so," Jason said, turning Tim's attention back to him, "for the batter I need butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking soda, salt..." Trailing off, he paused for a moment before looking back at Tim. "Am I missing anything?"

"Cocoa powder?" Tim suggested. "I don't think they're brownies if there isn't any chocolate in them, Jay."

"Yes! Cocoa powder!" Jason exclaimed. Grinning as he reached up into the cabinet to start pulling ingredients down, he added, "This is why I love you, Tim!"

Tim's heart fluttered in his chest. He ducked his head down, focusing on the recipe again as a warm unfamiliar blush blazed across his cheeks. "I'll make sure we didn't forget anything else."

"Okay," Jason said. He hummed a bit. Tim could hear the shuffling as he pushed the items in the cabinet around. "Where did Selina put the flour after we made those noodles the other day?"

"Top shelf," Tim said, not needing to look up. He remembered watching Selina do it. "You kept trying to start a flour fight with me, so she put it up where you couldn't reach it."

"Right, right, right."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Hi everyone!! I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter?
> 
> 2) It wasn't mentioned but Tim would have turned 12 between chapters and Jason would have turned 14 after the first section of this chapter. Hopefully you can tell their ages in their interactions, but please let me know if anything seems off. 
> 
> 3) The Dick scene might have been a bit anticlimatic, but I wrote a confrontation in my other JayTim story and now that it's /Tim/ not Jason that took up the Robin mantle I just can't see it being the same. Tim's confrontational when he needs to be, but he's definitely not going to start a fight with Dick even if he felt fantastic. At least not at this age.
> 
> 4) Might've gone a bit overboard in the paragraph where Jason talks about Dick and Tim and Bruce. 
> 
> 5) Unsure how I feel about the first interlude...I think bits of it are okay and bits of it I don't like? 
> 
> 6) I'm not a fan of how the comics portray Bruce's relationships with his kids. But Jason and Dick are at the top of that list so I really try and fix that in this fic. Hopefully you guys are enjoying the relationship I've set up for them more than I enjoy the comic relationship. 
> 
> 7) [Outfit](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/3a/46/d5/3a46d55000a5e17cd143c48d4520a965.jpg) inspiration for Jason and for [Ivy](http://www.onlearn.eu/images/es3-products/De%20las%20mujeres%20Tallas%20Grandes%20Vestido%20Sexy%20Casual%20Floral%20Sobre%20la%20rodilla%20Escote%20Redondo%20Poli%20ster%20Encaje---10263.jpg%22)
> 
> 8) For anyone confused by timelines - I kept the name Robins Park, but obviously the circumstances behind which Ivy comes to reside there and what she does there are different. 
> 
> 9) The playground near where I live has a similar cabin to what I described in the section when talking about what Ivy's home was initially and I always wanted to live in.
> 
> 10) This fic also assumes that most of Bruce's rogues know who he is because I just imagine they do?? Like they HAD to have ripped that cowl apart enough to know?? I also let both Fox children, Gordon, and Doctor Thompkins know because I wanted to (though I mentioned that in chapter 3).
> 
> 11) And the brownies Jason made are [these](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lx-ZVOXLPX0/UI3y1h8ulWI/AAAAAAAAQNA/48JQqtlK63c/s1600/halloween+get+together+019.JPG) and [these](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/21/a0/cb/21a0cb022cd82915ff3b3aa64e88cc14.jpg).
> 
> 12) Chapter title doesn't actually have anything to do with Ivy being in this chapter, but with a quote about relationships between siblings with age differences.


	6. The Pieces of My Heart are Missing You

The Wayne's dining room was filled with noise as the family enjoyed their Thanksgiving dinner together.

Alfred sat at the head of the table. It was something Bruce had insisted on since Dick had first joined the family. Alfred had argued that Bruce should sit there since he was the head of the family, but Bruce argued that Alfred worked so hard to make them these spectacular meals for their holidays that he deserved to sit there. It was also, they all knew, one of the ways Bruce honored Alfred as his father without actually saying it.

Selina sat with Alfred's right with Jason next to her and Tim on Jason's other side. Bruce sat to Alfred's left with Barbara by his side and Dick on Barbara's other side. Dick had one arm stretched out along the back of Barbara's chair.

Bruce and Dick had been a little awkward earlier in the day, but now it seemed to have smoothed out. Dick was telling stories about his life in Bludhaven, silly ones about his partner on the police force and some of the stupid things he saw while on duty. Occasionally Bruce let out quiet laughter, but mostly he was just smiling. Jason thought he was probably just happy that Dick was here with them.

"Barbara, can I have the potatoes?" Jason asked.

"Really kiddo? That's like your fifth serving," Barbara said. Even as she teased him, she grabbed the bowl in front of her and held it out for him.

"I like them," Jason said. Grabbing the bowl with both hands, he moved it so he could set it down in front of him instead. As he reached for the spoon he said, "We can't all be as unhealthy as Tim. Someone has to like the vegetables Alfred makes."

"I think the fact that even Alfred can't make asparagus taste good is proof that asparagus is disgusting and shouldn't be consumed by men," Tim argued.

"I don't know about that," Dick said, turning away from Bruce to look at Tim. "Asparagus tastes pretty good wrapped in bacon."

"Richard," Alfred chided, convinced over the years to drop the titles on special occasions, "that's hardly healthy."

"It's still a vegetable," Dick argued.

"It's wrapped in bacon," Barbara argued, rolling her eyes. Looking down the table, she added, "Don't worry, Alf. I make him eat vegetables without all of the grease when I'm there." Alfred flashed her an appreciative smile.

Bruce added, "I'm just happy he's learned how to make food for himself with setting it on fire."

"I was eight," Dick said. He sounded more amused than angry by the memory. To Jason that seemed a bit like a miracle. Not too long ago, Dick had taken everything that Bruce said to him as some sort of attack. "I learned to let Alfred take care of me."

Before anyone could add to that, a shrill ringing went through the room.

There was a moment of confusion before everyone realized that it was Tim's phone that had went off.

"Who's calling you on Thanksgiving?" Jason asked as Tim pulled his phone out of his pocket.

They'd all worked together to force Bruce to turn his phone off, insistent that business was absolutely banned during the holiday. It hadn't occurred to them that anyone else at the table would be a problem.

"I have no-" Tim cut himself off as he read the name on his phone. "Oh. It's my mother."

"Go ahead and take it," Selina said, leaning backwards and setting an encouraging hand between Tim's shoulder blades. "I'm sure she just wants to wish you a good holiday."

The room was quiet for a moment before Tim nodded. "Alright."

When Tim pushed his chair back and made his way out of the dining room, Jason followed after. It was natural, now, for him to follow Tim. They spent most of their time in their alter egos separated, but that line was blurring more every day. Nowadays, the only time they really they spent apart was when they were in their classes.

As Tim leaned against the wall, greeting his mother in a voice that was falsely warm, Jason slid down it and sat next to him. He let his body tilt so his head was against Tim's knees, a point of contact for Tim to draw comfort from.

Jason didn't like Tim's parents. He didn't like how they didn't seem to care for him as much as they cared to see the world and discover the past. He didn't like how on the rare occasion that they managed to drag themselves back to Gotham, they showered Tim in gifts instead of actually giving him affection. He didn't like how they forced Tim to be someone he wasn't, trying their best to force him into their ideal of a perfect heir for Drake Industries. He didn't like how they left Tim alone for months on end and then pulled him away from his real family, how they pulled Tim away from _him_.

Jason didn't have any interest in anything Tim's parents had to say, but he wanted to be there with Tim. So he sat there listening to Tim's side of the conversation. It consisted mostly of a lot of yeses and nos and agreeing hums.

After a few minutes, Tim said, "Okay, Mom. I'll see you then." There was a small moment as she said something before Tim added, "Okay. Bye."

As Tim hung up the call, Jason craned his head up to look at him. He asked, "What'd they want?"

Tim pressed his lips together before saying, voice soft and upset, "They're going to be home for Christmas."

* * *

The rest of Thanksgiving hung heavy with the knowledge that Tim wasn't going to be around for Christmas. No matter how many times Selina insisted that it wasn't really Christmas unless the entire family together so Tim wouldn't be missing anything or how many times Bruce said that they would simply postpone their Christmas until Tim was back with them, they couldn't quite manage to lift the mood up. Christmas was for family and it was hard to reconcile with the fact that they would be missing a member of their family that year.

Tim's parents being in town always separated the boys since Tim had to be around his own house. His parents always had people around the house that they wanted to showoff too, a process which usually included showing how much better their child was than other children.

It was a situation that Jason always took hard. He disliked being separated from Tim for any reason, but he was taking it especially hard this time.

Tim was usually a lot more level headed about his parents visits. He didn't crave their affection the way he had when he was younger, Bruce and Selina gave him everything that he'd wanted from his parents and even if he sometimes wished that he got them from his parents he didn't feel a bone deep need for any longer, but they were still his parents and he knew the necessity of being with them when they were around. He didn't want them to realize that he was spending all of his days and nights with Bruce Wayne and have the power to say something about him that would tear all of them apart. The separation was just as bad for him as it was for Jason, but it was easier for Tim to see the necessity of it.

This time, however, he seemed just as upset at the news of his parents homecoming as Jason.

Jason got angry, snapped and lost his temper. Tim drew back, got quieter and more cautious. Both of them clung tighter to each other. Not knowing how long Tim's parents were going to be town once they were home meant that there was rarely a moment outside of their school hours that the two separated. More than that, there was rarely a moment when they weren't touching. It was clasped hands and shoulders pressed together and ankles wrapped around each other.

Wanting to bring their spirits up and help them forget about it, their family threw themselves into the holiday spirit and dragged both boys with them.

Dick showed up at the manor with Barbara to help put up the Christmas decorations. Dick carried boxes down from the attic, laughing as Alfred huffed that he wasn't too old to do it himself. Alfred tried to convince them that they didn't need to put the lights up and they'd hire a decorator like usual, but after thirty minutes Jason was so determined to make one of the trees in the front yard look like a candy cane that trying to convince him not to do it was useless. Barbara stood on the ground with her hands around a mug of hot chocolate, cheeks a healthy red as she watched Jason, Dick, and Tim climbing around the roof and untangling lights. By the time they finished, Wayne Manor was so bright that Jason thought Tim would be able to see it even when he was with his parents.

Bruce picked them up from school one Friday so they could go pick out a Christmas tree. They'd hire a decorator to do the one in the den, but the one in the living room was for them. He spent the afternoon trailing behind Jason and Tim as Jason used their joined hands to pull Tim through the maze of trees. When they'd picked the tree they wanted, a huge Noble Fir, they took it back to the manor. He spent the rest of the night trying to untangle lights and tinsel for the boys to put on as they wanted then sitting back on the couch as they pulled ornaments from boxes. He felt a warmth of fondness when they started arguing about whether they should put an angel on top of the tree, one that had Martha's favorite, or a star, which had always been his father's preference.

Selina took them out one weekend to shop for Christmas gifts. She took them to a bookstore so they could collect a pile of things off Barbara's to read list, wanting to let her have copies of things she liked instead of just reading the copies the library she worked at had. She laughed with them as they bought Alfred silver cuff-links with the Batman symbol in the middle before helping them decide whether he would prefer silver or black when it came to a more expensive pair. Bruce always wore his fathers watch so there was no point in buying him a new one, so instead she helped them decide to buy him a joke tie covered in the Robin R as well as two nice ones, one striped red and black from Jason and one that was a nice eye-popping blue from Tim. She distracted Jason while Tim snuck back into the bookstore to find a present for him and let Jason run off to find a present for Tim under the guise of going to the bathroom. She choked back her emotions and pretended not to notice when the two of them peered at a "Gifts for Mom" display in a jewelry store.

Jason and Tim appreciated it, they had fun with them, but nothing quite got rid of the knowledge that Tm wouldn't be around on Christmas.

* * *

Tim was quiet as he made his way through Wayne manor's entry hall.

His parents had been around in the morning, but before the sun had even set they'd left for a party. They'd laughed about how crazy the Mallory's parties could get as they left, saying that it was the sort of thing someone Tim's age shouldn't attend. Tim hadn't really been that torn up it, but there had been a burst of anger. He didn't understand why they had to take him away from Jason if they were just going to leave him behind at the end of the day.

He'd considered staying at his house, but it hadn't taken very long for him to decide to leave. There had been a time when staying in the Drake mansion alone was normal, when it made him a little lonely but wasn't something he couldn't handle. He wasn't used to being on his own anymore.

Knowing that his parents weren't going to be home until late that night, he thought it would be fine for him to go to see his family. He wasn't going to be able to spend the night, his parents didn't exactly check his room anymore like they had when he was a child but he still worried that they would notice he was gone, but he'd at least be able to spend some of Christmas with his family.

A small knot of anxiety rested in Tim's gut as he made his way towards the living room. Bruce and Selina had been adamant that no celebrations were going to happen until Tim was with them, but he worried that wouldn't be true. He worried that him being gone the way he had been was just too much of an inconvenience, that they'd decide they didn't need him around to have Christmas. Maybe even that they didn't need him to be apart of their family.

When he stepped through the doorway to the living room, though, all of those fears wiped away.

Jason was in the room alone, something which never would have happened if they were celebrating the holidays. He was sitting on the couch in his Wonder Woman pajama pants with a Wii controller in his hands and Super Monkey Ball loaded up on the screen. His hair stuck up in awkward angles, like he'd either combed his fingers through it multiple times or never taken a comb through it after waking up. There were a collection of small chip bags and soda bottles around him. All in all it looked like Jason was bingeing video games rather than celebrating any holiday much less Christmas.

A rush of relief, of happiness, swept through Tim. He didn't want Bruce or Selina to celebrate without him either, but the fact that _Jason_  was apparently waiting for him mattered more.

He spent a moment watching Jason play the game.

When Jason sent Baby rolling off the map again, he spoke up, "Can I try?"

Jason jumped, surprised by the interruption, and whirled around. The second he caught sight of Tim, though, all of the fight drained out of him. Instead a happy spark lit in his eyes and a wide grin spread across his lips, "Tim!"

"Hi," Tim said. "Can I play?"

"Yeah, of course," Jason said. He held out the controller, "Here you go."

Taking the invitation, Tim made his way to the couch and settled down next to Jason. There was plenty of room on either side, but he pressed himself close. Jason was sitting with his legs crossed under him, so Tim drew his up and tucked his feet under Jason's thighs.

As Tim shifted his focus to the game, reloading the level for his own attempt, Jason asked, "Why are you over here? I thought your parents were going to be back until after the New Year."

"They went to a party," Tim said. "I'd rather spend Christmas here with my family than alone, so I came over here. I want to be back before they get home just in case, but I can at least spend a few hours here."

"Do B and Alf know you're here?"

"I don't know," Tim said, shrugging a bit. It was easy to relax here, easy to relax in Wayne Manor with Jason by his side. This was _home_  more than the house his parents owned ever had been. "I didn't see either of them when I came in, but I'm sure someone saw me on one of the cameras."

"I'll go find them just incase they don't," Jason said, shifting as if to move. "We can call Selina and open a few of our presents before you have to leave."

Before Jason could lift completely, Tim paused the game and reached over to grab his wrist. Looking up at him, Tim said, "Wait until I finish trying this level please?"

Tim didn't say that he didn't want Jason to leave him alone, that he didn't want to be separated from him yet. Tim's parents hadn't been home too long, not even a week yet, but even that seemed like too much. He just wanted a minute with Jason. Tim didn't say it, but Jason understood it.

"Okay," Jason said. He settled back into the couch. "I'll just make myself comfortable then. I'm sure this is gonna take you a few tries."

"Just because it takes you ten attempts doesn't mean it's going to take me ten attempts," Tim said.

"Okay first, I've only tried five times," Jason said. A small laugh bubbled out of Tim's throat as he turned back to the game. "And second of all, why don't you actually _start_  the course because you start talking trash, Timbo."

* * *

When Tim had completed the level - after only two tries - the two of them went to seek out Bruce.

He was sitting in his office when he found them, looking down at a stack of documents. Tim didn't know what they were, but Jason told him that Bruce was working on Wayne Enterprises stuff from home so that his employees could have the day off. He was hoping to get ahead enough that he could take the day off whenever they had their proper celebration with Tim. When they called out for him, Tim's voice maybe a little more affectionate than he intended knowing that Bruce really was acting as though Christmas was just another day until Tim was around to celebrate it, Bruce's reaction had three stages. First curiosity, no doubt wondering what Jason wanted. Then a flash of shock, surprised to see Tim when they hadn't been expecting him until after the holidays. Warm affection flooded his face next, obviously happy to see the two of them.

After a brief conversation, Jason and Tim left Bruce to call Selina while they ran off to tell Alfred there were going to be a few more people over for dinner than he'd been expecting.

Selina showed up about half an hour later in a short elf dress, raising questions from everyone in the manor. Jason groaned about things he didn't need to see her in and argued that the catsuit was completely different when Tim brought it up. Selina just laughed at them, ruffling Jason's hair as she explained that she'd been at a party with Harley and Poison Ivy. Tim, having just been left behind by his parents so they could go to a party, had been worried that he'd ruined her night. He didn't ask her, but the way she kissed his cheek and told him that she was happy to see him was all the assurance he needed that she'd rather be here than at a party.

They called Dick to see if he could come out for a short amount of time, but Dick and Barbara had made plans to celebrate Christmas with Commissioner Gordon since Tim wasn't supposed to be home for the holiday. Tim missed them, but they were still going to have a bigger celebration later when he had more time to stay so he wasn't too upset about them not being able to make it. Plus, he thought it was probably going to be fun to listen to the stories Barbara would have about Dick and her father awkwardly figuring out how to have a holiday together.

They didn't do much actual celebrating, leaving the presents and huge dinner for when Dick and Barbara were there, but Tim was fine with that. Instead they all settled in the living room together to watch Christmas movies. Selina and Bruce sat on the couch, a little closer than normal but not quite curled up together, with a fuzzy throw blanket covered in reindeer. Tim and Jason sat on the floor with their backs against the couch and mugs filled with Alfred's hot chocolate cradled in their hands. Alfred settled himself in the arm chair where he could watch the movie while also watching over all of them.

For the most part it was a quiet night. Jason and Tim argued over whether to watch Polar Express or How the Grinch Stole Christmas until Bruce settled the argument by saying they had time to watch both of them. Bruce and Selina got in a stare-down when trying to decide which one of them got the last cream stuffed cookie, but Alfred stopped by reminding Bruce that a gentleman always deferred to the lady. Tim and Jason had both giggled at that, finding it amusing to see Bruce get scolded after he'd scolded them.

The night was quiet and calm.

Tim was fine with that.

He enjoyed the warm affection and the feeling of belonging that came with it.

* * *

"Tim," Jason whined as he approached Tim. "I'm hungry."

"I don't have any food," Tim said. "You should try the buffet table."

They were at a New Years party being hosted by one of Gotham's elites, so both of them were dressed in well tailored suits. Tim's suit didn't look bad, but it didn't fit quite like Jason's which accented the muscle that he was putting on and made him look older than he was.

Jason had seen Tim moving around the party before. He'd been doing what his parents expected of him, speaking to all the kids from Gotham Academy that he knew and letting them introduce him to their parents so he could charm them. Jason had left him be. He didn't particularly like being around Tim when he was doing things like that, when his smile was so fake that Jason's skin crawled and his voice was filled with a sweetness that Jason associated with cavities. He didn't know how anyone could be fooled into thinking that was the real Tim, but somehow it worked.

Jason, on the other hand, had hung around the people Selina had introduced him to at various other parties. There was Jasper, one of the curators for the Gotham Museum, who liked to insult people using comparisons to historical figures that were actually rather rude. Jason didn't understand all of the references he made, but Jasper never had any problem with explaining them to Jason once his target had walked away. There was Nydia, an actress and a third generation Italian immigrant. Though Gotham born and raised, she spent most of her time in New York since she was playing Mimi in the current Broadway production of RENT. Jason didn't see her all the time, but she came to a few parties just to keep her presence in the city and Jason never got sick of watching her persona slip away as she started mumbling about the thinly veiled racist comments she'd gotten. There was Eli, who had been introduced as Elena by his parents, who was an artist only a few months older than Jason. When it was clear Eli couldn't take any more of his parents passing him off as their beautiful perfect daughter, Jason would swoop in and they'd spend the rest of the party in a corner whispering about all of the works of art they'd seen. Jason liked to make stories to go along with the portraits that Eli liked. Sometimes Eli even managed to sneak his sketch book into the party and Jason would make up stories about the people Eli had seen around Gotham.

Right now, though, Tim was hanging around the edges of the party free from his social duties for a few moments and Jason had taken the opportunity to spend time with him.

"I don't think anything on that buffet table counts as food," Jason said. "The sandwiches are smaller than my hands."

"Are you sure the problem is the size of the sandwiches?" Tim asked. "Because your hands are pretty big."

"Your head is pretty big," Jason shot back. Tim ducked his head, letting out a small laugh that had Jason's smile widening. They hadn't seen much of each other since Tim's surprise Christmas visit since Tim was being hauled around from party-to-party by his parents while Selina, Bruce, and Jason had spent the holidays away from the social scene. He'd missed Tim fiercely. Being with him now, having him laughing because of something Jason had said, felt amazing. "But also, Selina promised we could swing by McDonalds after this. While it might not be the most nutritious, it is definitely more filling than those."

"I think it's probably more nutritious than those as well."

"Who knows." Jason added, "I'll wait, though. If you think you can sneak out later? We can all go together."

Tim looked for a moment like he was going to say yes, than he bit his lip. He shook his head. "I don't think so. People do stupid stuff on New Years, so I have to meet up with B. I shouldn't test my luck by going out even earlier."

"Alright." Jason hummed, leaning backwards so he could get a better look at the buffet table. He didn't need to be looking at Tim to know that his face would be dropping. "I guess I'll just grab some sandwiches then."

There was a moment before Tim let out a confused, "What?"

"I'll just grab sandwiches now," Jason repeated. Looking back at Tim, he added, "It can tie me over until patrol."

"You're coming?"

"No reason not to. B won't mind if I tag along and we don't have a job so Selina won't mind me going out as long as I tell her before I leave," Jason answered.

Tim's mouth was already spreading in a grin, so Jason didn't bother adding that he didn't want to stay at home at the apartment. Not when there was a perfectly good opportunity to spend time with Tim in front of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Hello everyone! I hope you've been having a nice month! I'm sorry this one came so close to the month. I had someone over in June, then I went on a five day vacation to Texas for RTX, then I went to see my girlfriend for a few days, and I was trying to do my JayTim week fics all at once. Also the Sims and Dragon Age happened again... I promise to be more organized in the future though! Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter despite the wait. 
> 
> 2) It's not holiday season, but it is in this fic so have a holiday chapter!! Also for anyone who wasn't sure about the timeline - it's about a month per scene, though sometimes I skip months. I try and give you hints about at least the seasons in clothing and such, but I'm not sure how much thats helping. 
> 
> 3) I imagine Jason and Tim just flip houses as they please, not really favoring either one. But when they're split up, Jason probably stays at Bruce's unless he and Selina have a job because he feels closer to Tim that way. 
> 
> 4) Title from Avril Lavigne "When Your Gone" bc duh. Though I struggled to pick which line I wanted. Hopefully you guys like the one I went with.


	7. It Beats For You, So Listen Close

Jason laid stomach down on the couch in the living room of Wayne Manor. He had a copy of the script for Spring Awakening resting on the cushion in front of him, pages spread open as he read them.

The musical was new to Broadway, having started just before Christmas, but after hearing about it from Nydia at the New Years party he'd begged to be allowed to see it. Selina had agreed readily, a patron of the arts herself and always happy to go see a musical with Jason, but she'd insisted that Bruce had to approve as well and that'd taken a bit of work. Jason had only just managed to convince Bruce that he was old enough to handle the content of the play after two weeks of near constant begging and only once he'd gotten Alfred on his side as well. Luckily Bruce and Selina were connected enough to get their hands on two tickets with short notice. Jason and Selina had gone to see the play just last week.

He'd fallen absolutely in love with it.

That morning when Jason and Tim had been leaving the apartment to go to school, Selina had given Jason the script. When he'd been staring at it, feeling a bit in awe at what he had in his hands, she'd laughed at him and joked that she figured she should give him something else to read or else he'd make it through the books he was given at Christmas before it was even March.

He'd been with Selina for over two years and he still wasn't used to how much she gave him.

While Jason was reading over his new gift, Tim was sat on his butt. He was sitting with his back against the couch and his legs dangling freely off the side, his knees hooked over Jason's hip. He had his Nintendo DS in his hand, playing Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team. While they both had a DS and a Game Boy Advance that their guardians had bought them last Christmas, Selina and Bruce had split the games up so Tim had the DS title and Jason had the Game Boy title.

It was a lazy Saturday for both of them. They'd done some of the homework they'd been assigned the day before, but Tim had done most of his at Selina's the night before and Jason had no interest in finishing his own until Sunday night. Math wasn't _fun_  the way English was. It wasn't even fun the way Science was which was to say that he had no risk of blowing something up by accident.

Neither of them minded having a lazy day though.

The combination of school and their night jobs kept them busy enough that genuine lazy days, rather than just a few hours off, were rare.

"Oh, you two are here?" Jason looked up from his book to find Bruce coming into the room, tugging the knot of his tie to unloosen it as he walked. He looked surprised to see them, but there was a soft happiness to his expression as well. Jason smiled a little as he looked back down at his book, finding familiar comfort in knowing that Bruce wanted him here. "I thought you'd be out doing something fun today."

"We didn't really feel like going out today," Tim said.

"Alright then." There was a quiet moment before Bruce asked, "So did you two talk to Selina much when you were at the apartment?"

"As much as usual," Tim answered. There was something in Bruce's voice that caught Jason's attention. It must have caught Tim's too because as Jason looked back up, he felt Tim shifting to turn his body towards Bruce. "Why?"

With both of them watching him, Bruce's expression grew uncomfortable. It was an expression that was never present on Batman's face, but frequent on Bruce Wayne's when he was around those that truly cared about him. His voice was strained, awkward, as he said, "I was just wondering if perhaps she'd said anything about having plans next Wednesday."

There was a moment as the information was processed before Jason said, incredulous, "Are you asking us if Selina has plans for _Valentines Day?_ "

Both Tim and Bruce said, "Next Wednesday is Valentines Day?" While Tim's was genuinely surprised, Bruce's was as fake as it could be.

"Oh my god, B," Jason groaned.

"Jason," Bruce said, obviously trying for a warning but ending up somewhere near a plea instead.

"This is so sad," Jason said. "You are a grown man asking for his children's help with Valentines."

" _Jason_." When a moment passed with nothing being said, Jason just shaking his head in dismay, Bruce added, "Have you heard anything or not?"

Before Jason could say anything else, Tim said, "This explains why she made us stay with her when she went to the jewelry store instead of letting us look around the bookshop."

* * *

Despite Jason's initial groaning, the two of them ended up helping Bruce put together plans for Valentines Day.

Instead of spending the evening at home like they'd planned, Bruce gave Alfred the night off and took the two of them out to dinner. When they'd finished up - Jason filled with at least half of Tim's chicken tenders and Tim still arguing that Bruce should have let him have coffee to drink despite the hour since he'd gotten a _coffee_  cake for dessert - Bruce herded the two of them into the car so they could go to Selina's favorite jewelry store.

Jason hung back as Tim led Bruce around. He loved Selina, but he'd been so grumpy about her not letting him to the bookstore the other day that he hadn't listened to a single thing she'd said while they were in the jewelry store. He watched as Tim pointed out the thick diamond necklace that Selina liked, one with an intricate pattern of leaf shaped diamonds that would dip towards her chest, and another with a thin diamond chain and nothing but a large sapphire hanging off of it. He pointed out a collection of other things that Selina had mentioned, a few pairs of earrings and several bracelets and even a couple of ear cuffs, so that Bruce had the option of choosing from them as well.

Bruce took them all.

Selina had plenty of jewelry more expensive than what was sitting in front of them, but she liked Bruce buying her things on the principle of it. When he bought her jewelry instead of relying on her to steal it herself it meant something more. 

From what Selina had told Jason, the two of them had been spending Valentines together for a long time. They loved each other deeply, but there had always been something keeping them from acting on it. Valentines was always their day. It was a silly, manufactured holiday but it was one that mattered to them. It was the one day a year when everything keeping them apart stopped mattering. 

Jason thought it was stupid.

They knew they loved each other, spent all those holidays together, and still separated at the end of the day. Even now when they were raising two children together, they weren't really together. They were more together now than they had been before, inched closer together every day, but there was still so many wasted years between them.

Jason didn't want his relationship with Tim to end up like that.

Jason knew what he felt for Tim. He knew that the love he carried for Tim was romantic. It was the same kind of deep, intense love that Selina and Bruce had for each other. There were people who would dismiss that because of his age, because he didn't have other experiences to compare it to, but he didn't need any of that. He knew what he felt better than anyone else did.

He wasn't worried about it now. Jason might have been fourteen years old and aware of what he was feeling, but Tim was only twelve. For all that Tim understood emotions, Jason knew that things like relationships were hardly at the forefront of his mind. He knew that and he didn't care that he was going to have to wait for Tim to catch up with him. He was happy enough to just have Tim by his side.

But he didn't want to end up like Selina and Bruce either.

He didn't want to waste years being an almost something.

* * *

"So I'll take Tim and-"

"That's not fair!" Luke objected, cutting Jason off before he could finish his sentence. "The two of you have some kind of telepathic connection. You'll win in a heartbeat."

Jason and Luke were standing on the make-shift pitchers mound at the community baseball field in Gotham. Tamara and Tim were sitting cross legged on the ground next to them, content to relax before Jason and Luke asked them to get up and play the game.

There hadn't been very many occasions for the four of them to hang out since the New Years galas they'd all had to attend, so they'd made plans to spend time together this weekend. It had turned out to be a nice enough day that Jason and Luke had both expressed a desire to do something outside. Tim and Tamara had been dragged to the baseball field before they could really give any input on where they wanted to go.

The four of them had been fast friends from the first time they'd met each other. Lucius was one of the few friends Bruce had outside of his nightly activities, a true and genuine friend that Bruce trusted with the company his family had built. That trust between them had given way for a similar bridge to build between their children. Even when everyone else seemed not to care about Tim, to see nothing but the name Drake and dollar signs, and to dismiss Jason, only speaking of him when they wanted to gossip about Selina and Bruce, there was Luke and Tamara. Two genuine friends who didn't care about any of that, who understood the burden on Tim's shoulders and knew that Jason's roots weren't something to be looked down on but something which had made him stronger.

"We aren't telepathic," Tim objected. In his role as Robin he'd met enough people who _were_  telepathic that he felt a constant need to point out that he and Jason weren't. Even to people who didn't know what he spent his nights doing.

"Luke," Jason said, his voice filled with soft disbelief. He ignored what Tim had said as he sent Luke a flat look. "It's _Tim_. No amount of telepathic ability is going to magically turn him into someone capable of playing sports. He'd a bigger handicap than a help."

"Hey!" Tim objected. He kicked his foot out against Jason's shin. Jason knew more than anyone that despite how small Tim's physique was, he wasn't exactly helpless. Maybe he wasn't good at sports like Luke and Jason were, but he could take half of Gotham's football team down if he really wanted. He was _Robin_. "I'm not useless, Jay!"

Jason turned towards Tim, his expression full of amusement and pity. "In this? You absolutely are."

"This is bullying!" Tam exclaimed, though her voice sounded just as amused as Jason's. She reached out, slinging an arm around Tim and pulling him into her side. Tim let her, smiling as he leaned against her shoulder. "I'm stealing Tim. He's on my team now!" She looked over at Tim, waited until he looked at her as well to say, "We'll be Team Double T okay? And we'll kick their butts."

"Sounds fine to me," Tim said. All of his protesting aside, he knew how unlikely it was that he and Tam would beat Jason and Luke at any sort of sport. Much less baseball which both of them had a passion for. It would be fun to play with Tam, though, even when they inevitably lost.

"The teams would have been more balance if one of you went with one of us," Luke said, "but I don't have any problem whooping you into the ground. Jay?"

"I don't have a problem with it," Jason said. He locked his fingers together and lifted his arms behind his head. He was wearing a three-fourths sleeve Gotham Knight's shirt. The center was a dark gray while the sleeves were black with two yellow bands around his biceps. The shirt was a little small on him, it was an old one that Bruce had bought him before puberty and being properly taken care of had hit Jason's body so hard, and the motion had his biceps straining against the sleeves. For a moment, Tim found himself staring at them. He traced the line of Jason's arm, the curve of growing muscle.His mouth felt suddenly dry. "-Tim?"

"What?" Tim asked, his attention snapping away from Jason's arms and towards his face.

Jason looked at him for a moment, expression mostly confused with a small hint of concern, before he said, "I asked if you were okay with batting first."

"We figured if you guys bat first, we can't bury you under the sheer force of our talent right away," Luke piped in.

"I'm fine with that," Tim agreed. "Are we starting now?"

"Yup," Jason leaned forward, holding a hand out for Tim. "Come here. I'll help you up."

Tim didn't hesitate to reach out and grab it, letting Jason clasp their fingers together and pull him up to his feet.

Jason's palm was warm. It always was.

* * *

The four of them spent the next few hours together, enjoying the unusually warm March weather and each other's company.

They played baseball until the score was 3-8 and Team Double T decided they'd had enough of watching the other two run around the bases.

The baseball field was part of a giant park. So once they finished there, they walked towards the front where there was a collection of places to get food from. They ordered tacos from a food truck and got sugar filled drinks from one of the booths that were at the park all year around. Afterwards they went to sit at one of the picnic tables, spending their time laughing and sharing stories. Jason stole the cherry off Tamara's milkshake, Luke hated the fish tacos and forced Tim to take one of his by insisting that Tim was too skinny, Tim took a drink of Jason's slushie that turned his tongue a bright berry blue, and Tamara argued with Tim about whether or not the barbecue tacos needed more sauce.

With the two of them, Tim didn't have to worry about whether they were hanging out with him because his last name was Drake or because they genuinely liked him. Tamara and Luke, despite growing up in the same world as Tim, were genuine and good people. The time that Tim spent with them was always silly and fun.

While Tim tried to enjoy the time he had with Tamara and Luke since their schedules didn't always line up in a way that made it easy to meet, he found himself a little distracted that afternoon. He found himself a little more aware of Jason, particularly of the way Jason looked and made him feel.

He found himself noticing the way that Jason's hair stuck out under the edges of his hat, a black and gold Gotham Knight's baseball cap that he's flipped around backwards, and the way it curled around his ears. He found himself suddenly aware of how wide Jason's hands were, watching as he gestured wildly while he told stories. He found himself noticing how it felt when they were touching, how when their knees bumped together there was a comforting warmth that spread through him.

They were all things that had been happening for ages, but which Tim was only starting to take note of now.

Tim liked being in control. Change like this usually spooked him, but he found it easy to roll with it when the changes that were happening related to Jason.

His relationship with Jason was something he had put all of his trust in. It was the one thing that Tim believed would never go away, would never break, would never hurt him. Any changes that happened in their relationship would be ones that strengthened it and brought the two of them even closer together than they already were.

Tim had the utmost faith in that.

* * *

Tim's entire body was filled with a bone deep exhaustion when he pushed open the door to their bedroom in Selina's apartment.

There'd been a break out at Arkham which had kept Tim, Barbara, and Bruce busy all night. They'd even called Dick to get him to Gotham to help out. It'd been a big break out and despite how many people they'd caught there were still a lot of big names back out on the streets. Including the biggest one of all - the Joker.

Bruce had refused to take the cowl off for as long as possible, pushing all of them hours past when they usually turned in, but eventually all of them were flagging and Alfred had put his foot down.

Tim had gone to the cave long enough to change into pajamas, a pair of black and white plaid pajama pants with a black tee-shirt with silver lettering that said Nerd across his chest, before requesting that someone take him to Selina's.

Usually when Jason spent the night at Selina's while Tim was on patrol, Tim would just spend the night in their bed at Bruce's. Tonight, though, the physical and mental exhaustion he was feeling had him aching for sleep. More than that, it had him aching for the comfort that Jason provided.

The family was used to Jason and Tim so no one had been fazed by the request. Dick had offered to bring him over despite looking like there was nothing he wanted more than to go collapse on his bed with Barbara, but Bruce had waved him off and brought Tim over himself.

Bruce was out in the living room talking to Selina now, telling her what was going on and asking if she would mind if the two of them stayed at the manor a little more permanently until he had things sorted out in Gotham. Tim knew that tomorrow after the two of them went to Bruce's, because there was very little chance she made them go to school tomorrow, she would be going to Robins Park. Ivy and Harley would hear about the outbreak soon, if they hadn't already, and Selina would want to support them.

Tim didn't really care about any of that right now, though.

"Jay," Tim said, knowing that Jason's name came out sounding more relieved than he'd been anticipating. Jason was sitting in the bay window, his legs were covered by a gray throw blanket with white lines over it that created a scale-like pattern and a copy of the Iliad in his hands. Tim couldn't see what pajama bottoms he was wearing, but since Jason was wearing his red Wonder Woman tank top he assumed it was the blue shorts that went with it. His hair was messy, but only as much as it ever was. It looked like he hadn't even attempted to go to bed despite the fact that the sky was starting to fade from inky black to a soft gray. "Have you been up all night reading?"

"Yes," Jason said. He looked over at Tim, his eyes tired but a smile on his face. "But only because I wasn't going to get any sleep anyway."

Tim knew the feeling, so he didn't bother saying anything.

Instead he crossed the room and crawled up into the window with him. Jason shifted immediately, giving Tim the room he needed to wiggle his way under the blanket. When they settled Tim was lying on his stomach between Jason's thighs, his arms wrapped around Jason's waist and his head against Jason's stomach. Their feet tangled together and Jason held his book in one hand so he could wrap the other around Tim's shoulders.

"Read to me," Tim requested.

"Do you want me to start from the beginning?" Jason asked, hardly bothered by the request.

"No," Tim said, shaking his head the best he could given how closely he was tucked into Jason. "Just continue from wherever you are."

"Alright." There was a moment as Jason licked his lips and took a breath, a process that Tim couldn't see but was so familiar with that he knew exactly what was going on, before he started, "As the youth came on in front of the others, he got the bronze in his chest beside the right nipple. On through his shoulder it went and he fell to earth in the dust like a sooth black poplar whose branchy top falls in the low grassland of a mighty marsh to the gleaming ax of some chariot-maker, who leaves it to dry by the banks of a river that he may bend him a rim for a beautiful chariot...."

Tim laid there, letting Jason's voice lull him to sleep.

Despite everything he'd seen that night, it was easy to feel safe when he was with Jason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
> 
> 2) I'm a little worried that you guys won't like this kind of aimless, domestic part of this fic (though plot stuff is coming in a few chapters bc ~Jason~) but I think that this part of this fic isn't just fun for me but also very important? I really want to show the family and the family changes because of the relationships this universe changed. So I like writing these chapters and I'm gonna write a few more before ~Jason~
> 
> 3) Writing this chapter was so much fun! I've given so many hints about Jason's feelings for Tim and now I actually got to kind of spell them out and put it out there. 
> 
> 4) Okay since the Fox's exist in this weird space where they don't show up that often and are a huge mesh of different canons. So in this universe the Fox Children are - in order - Tiffany, Tim, Lucas, Tam. Tiffany is several years older than Dick, Tim is around Dick's age, Luke is Jason's age, and Tam is Tim's age. 
> 
> 5) Chapter title is from "Stereo Hearts" by Gym Class Heroes. I thought it was fitting when the chapter is the boys talking about ~feelings~
> 
> 6) I haven't included this before but for anyone interested you can find me on tumblr [here](http://thepackwantsthed.tumblr.com/)! Obviously I love seeing your comments on this fic and I hope this doesn't discourage anyone from leaving them, but just incase anyone has a question that they'd like a longer answer to!


	8. Won Life's Lotto.

Selina laid in her bed, debating whether or not to venture out of her room and find out what the rattling in her kitchen was. She'd been mildly worried when the sounds had woken her up, but the comfort of her bed and her lingering exhaustion had kept her from moving.

There was no chance of a robber finding the room in her home that held the costumes. The prettiest things in her collection, the things that she couldn't bare to get sell after a job, were locked away in the same room was the suits. So, as long as they didn't come into her room, she was pretty content to just let them take what they wanted from the other room and replace it afterwards. She'd been thinking of redecorating anyway.

It wasn't until she smelled a whiff of smoke and heard Jason shout "I just left to pee, Tim! It was only like two minutes!" that she remembered the boys were home with her.

As wild as the boys schedule had been when their family was first coming together, they'd become more sure of things now. Jason felt less like was going to end up on the streets again. Tim was more certain that he wasn't going to be abandoned. With the certainty came a more set schedule. They usually spent Monday afternoon to Thursday morning with Selina. She worked freelance, verifying and pricing artifacts for museums and private collectors, so she would work while the boys were at school and have time to spend with them when they were home. They'd spend Thursday afternoon to Monday morning with Bruce. Wayne Enterprises closed early on the weekends, so he could spend more time with them than he could during the week.

There were exceptions, of course. There were times when they both went on patrol with Bruce and were too exhausted to come all the way to Selina's after. There were times with Jason and Selina were gone for a job so Tim stayed at Bruce's alone. There were times when all four of them would do something together than the boys would go do something with Bruce or Selina and end up at the house they didn't usually stay at that day. There were simple special occasions, Alfred's birthday for example, that had them staying where they didn't usually.

She wasn't sure exactly why the boys had decided to stay with her last night, she'd gone to a club with Ivy and Harley only to come back as the boys climbed in after patrolling with Bruce, but she wasn't upset to see them. It was always a pleasure to have them around.

Even when they were burning her kitchen down.

She couldn't hear anymore screaming and the fire alarm hadn't gone off, but Selina still felt like now was a good time to get up.

She sat up, shifting as she did so to swing her legs out of the bed. She stood for a second, stretching her arms above her head to work out some lingering exhaustion, before moving.

Knowing the boys were over, Selina had put on a pair of silk pink shorts covered in black hearts and a black tank top when she'd went to bed that night. Comfortable, but not revealing. She didn't feel the need to put her robe on over her pajamas, so once she finished stretching Selina made her way out of her room.

As she made her way down the hallway the bedrooms were in, heading toward the open space that contained the kitchen and living room, she called out, "What are you two doing? Do we need to call the fire department?"

"Shit," Jason swore, voice low but audible to her trained ears. He raised his voice as he added, "No! I've got it covered! Go back to bed!"

Selina's eyebrows raised, suspicion pooling in her stomach.

It was one thing for the boys to try cooking something and fail, it was another for them to be hiding something from her. Especially when they were being so obvious about it.

"That doesn't sound like you've got it covered," she answered.

"He does!" Tim assured, but his voice held a note of uncharacteristic panic. "Nothing is on fire anymore."

There was a sharp, instinctual squeak. Like Jason had elbowed Tim for his comment.

Stepping into the main room, Selina made her way across until she could look into the kitchen area to see what the boys were doing.

When she got a good look at them, she found herself stopping to stare.

Jason was standing in front of the sink which had a smoking pan with something black inside of it. Selina thought, based on the smell, it might have been some kind of bacon in a past life. Tim was against the island in the center of the area, across from the stove with his back against it like he'd jumped away from it. There was a plate behind Tim, piled high with food, and pans littering the entire kitchen.

Tim looked over, catching sight of her first. He gave her a sheepish smile before saying, "Happy Mother's Day?"

Hearing him, Jason turned away from the pan in the sink.

"Happy Mother's day," Jason said. Then he added, "Tim burned the bacon, but we made you heart-shaped pancakes and scrambled eggs. There's some pineapple flowers too. I tried to make the strawberries into roses, but I don't know if I actually succeeded."

"I'm sure they're perfect," Selina said, emotion welling inside her.

She hadn't necessarily forgotten that it was Mother's Day, but she hadn't been expecting this.

The first year Jason had been with her for Mother's Day had been only a few months after she convinced him to stay with her. He'd disappeared early in the morning and returned after dinner.

The second year, Mother's Day came around only days before she found out Tim and Jason had been spending time together. That year Jason had given her an envelope with a store card and kissed her cheek before leaving. He'd been back for dinner.

So this surpassed every expectation she had for today.

"Thank you so much, boys," Selina said. Her heart felt like it was going to burst with fondness. Glancing around, she added, "But I think you forgot something."

"We did?" they said, speaking together. They exchanged looks, clearly trying to figure out what they'd forgotten.

"Yes," Selina said. "You forgot to make food for yourselves."

* * *

Jason felt a little bad about it when Selina picked her phone up to order waffles from a local delivery place. Today was supposed to be about her and everything she'd done for him, for them now that Tim was around, but she ended up having to take care of them like she always did. Selina didn't seem to mind the inconvenience though. She just laughed as she placed their orders, amused by their forgetfulness.

While they waited for Tim and Jason's food, the three of them settled on the couch together. Selina loved the Princess Diaries movies, so the three of them spent their morning watching both of them.

Once Mia Thermopolis had successfully been crowned Queen of Genovia, Jason and Tim stood up. They both said goodbye to Selina, kissing her cheek and hugging her, and told her not to make dinner because they had plans for that as well. When skepticism passed over her face, clearly unsure how good an idea that was given the bacon incident, Jason assured her that they were going _out_  for dinner so she didn't need to worry about the apartment burning down.

Neither of them told Selina where they were going when they left. Most of that was because Jason hadn't even told _Tim_ where they were going. When they'd been planning what to do for Selina, Jason had just made it clear they needed to keep the afternoon clear without ever actually saying why.

Jason took Tim to the cemetery that afternoon.

Jason didn't come out here as often as he thought he should. It hurt too much. It made him feel terrible about the way he lived now, because he didn't deserve any of this. Not when he'd failed to take care of, to _save_ , his mother.

He always made sure came out on Mothers Day though. He flopped down in front of the gravestone, legs folded under him, and spent hours telling his mother about the life he was living now. It didn't matter how badly he felt about failing her. He still wanted to share the parts of his life with her that she wasn't around to see. She was his mother, the only parent he had known for the first thirteen years of his life, and Jason had always loved her fiercely. 

Jason folded his legs under him, collapsing in front of the gravestone that read Catherine Todd. Her body wasn't under it, that had been hauled to a morgue and out of Jason's reach long before, but Selina had helped him get this for her. When he was settled, he looked up at Tim and patted the space next to him so he knew to sit with him. Tim didn't try arguing, just folded himself down to sit with their knees touching.

They spent the next couple of hours there. Tim was mostly quiet as Jason spoke, but eventually he became comfortable enough to make small corrections to Jason's stories.

When Jason had finished, he kissed his fingers before pressing them to the headstone.

As they walked out of the cemetery, Tim reached out and twined their fingers together. Jason gave him a small smile before squeezing.

They made their way back to the apartment, choosing to walk even though it was a little far so that Jason could have some time to breath, Tim called his own mother. Jason kept his grip on Tim's hand tight as he listened to him talk. He wanted Tim to know that no matter how dismissive of him his parents were, no matter how unconcerned his mother seemed about whether or not he called her, he was there for him. No matter what Janet and Jack Drake did, Tim was going to have Jason by his side to help him through it.

Later that night, Jason and Tim gave Selina the boxes with her presents in them. The box Tim handed her held a white dress they'd gotten her, after consulting with her favorite tailor as well as Ivy and Harley to make sure she'd like it. The top of the dress had a semi-sweetheart neckline with a collection of silver lace in a pattern akin to ice that crept up towards her collar. There was a belt of jewels around the middle with the skirt falling in soft folds. The box Jason handed her was smaller. Inside of it was a circular silver locket. The locket had a large flower in the middle of it with a ring of smaller flowers and leaves surrounding it. Sitting inside of the locket was a picture of the two boys, Selina, and Bruce that had been taken by Alfred over Christmas.

When Selina had put her new presents on, Jason and Tim escorted her to one of the nice restaurants downtown where they met up with Bruce. She seemed to be surprised to see him at first, but when he leaned forward to kiss her cheek and thanked her for her part in taking care of their boys a grin split her face.

The four of them sat together that night, having a family dinner out that wouldn't be followed by their faces getting spread all over the tabloids the next morning.

* * *

"I don't think I have ever been this happy before," Bruce admitted. He was standing in the grass in front of his parents grave. It was a sunny day. In mid-June the heat wasn't as bad as it would get, but the temperature was climbing and the heat was certainly taking it's toll on Gotham's residents. While it certainly wasn't Bruce's most comfortable visit, he wasn't going to let the heat keep him from visiting his parents on such an important day. "I don't want to ruin this. I don't want Dick to start hating me again. I don't want to make Jason or Tim hate me at all. I want them all to be happy."

"Master Dick has never hated you." Bruce turned away from the grave. Alfred stood a few feet away from him with his hands clasped behind his lower back. He was dressed in a full suit, looking completely unfazed by the heat. "Perhaps he was angry with you at times, but he has never hated you."

"I'm not so sure about that," Bruce answered.

"You are allowed to have your doubts, but I will continue to tell you the truth," Alfred said. Bruce couldn't stop the small twitch of his lips that followed the statement. Instead of pressing the issue, he added, "And just like Master Dick has never hated you, Masters Tim and Jason will never hate you either."

"I hope not. I don't want to make the two of them feel the way I made Dick feel." Bruce looked away from Alfred, eyes finding the ground instead. His voice was soft as he murmured, "I didn't want Dick to feel that way either."

"I know, Master Bruce. However, I believe that your desire to spare them those feelings are exactly what makes you an excellent father," Alfred said, his voice soft and understanding. Thomas Wayne had been an incredible father while he was alive, but he had died young. Alfred could never fill the space that Thomas left in Bruce's heart, had no intention of doing so, but he had carved himself a place in Bruce's heart regardless. Sometimes Bruce thought about how incredibly lucky he was to have had both men in his life. He wished his sons had gotten to do the same. Alfred cleared his throat, "Instead of focusing on your perceived failure as a father, perhaps we could instead talk about how you leave gifts on people's nightstands like a child instead of giving them directly?"

The first time Bruce had given Alfred a fathers day gift, when he was twelve years old and starting to realize how much the man meant to him, he'd been too nervous to give it to him directly. Instead he'd snuck into his caretakers room and left the gift, a collection of expensive and exotic teas from around the world, on Alfred's nightstand while the man was making them breakfast.

Giving Alfred his present in that way was a habit that had stuck with Bruce throughout the years. It didn't matter that Bruce had grown up or that he was far more vocal in his appreciation of Alfred now. This was a tradition between the two of them that they both cherished. It didn't matter that Alfred chided Bruce for the behavior every year.

"I'll try my best to remember next year," Bruce said, smiling a little bit.

"See that you do," Alfred said, a trace of amusement and affection in his voice that Bruce was only able to pick up after years with him. "Now I don't mean to rush your time with your father, but I thought you would like to know that the boys are at the house waiting for you. I fear if you wait too much longer, Master Dick might eat all of the bacon before you get any."

"Bacon?" Bruce echoed. He remembered listening to Jason and Tim argue about Tim burning the bacon on Mother's day. "I thought the boys made breakfast this morning?"

"They did, but having heard Ms. Kyle's stories from Mother's Day I requested that they allow me to help with this one thing," Alfred answered. "Their gesture is nice, but I prefer they not burn my kitchen down the way they attempted to burn hers down."

"I'm sure," Bruce said. He turned away from Alfred, glancing back down at the grave in front of him. After a moment he looked back at Alfred. "Hold them off for five more minutes? I'll be there then."

"Very good, sir. We'll see you then."

* * *

Bruce walked into the manor's dining room to find his boys and Alfred gathered around the dining room table with a large breakfast spread out in front of them.

On Father's Day they left the head of the table open. It was a way of honoring Thomas Wayne, the same way that they left it open for meals on Mother's Day. Alfred sat to the right of the seat while Bruce would sit to the left. Jason and Tim had filled in the seats next to Bruce's empty chair. Dick was sitting next to Alfred and across from Tim.

Jason and Dick were arguing about something. Jason didn't look like he was _really_ angry about whatever they were talking about, but he was clearly a little more concerned about the topic. Dick, on the other hand, was half laughing as he spoke. He might have genuinely been arguing at some point, but it was obvious that now he was just doing it to work Jason up. Tim was sitting next to Jason looking exasperated. He looked as though he was considering joining the argument, probably on Jason's side, just for the sake of ending it. Alfred was watching over all three of them, amusement in his smile and affection in his eyes.

Bruce settled himself in his seat, next to Tim and across from Alfred. Almost immediately Jason turned to him, asking him whether he thought cinnamon or chocolate pancakes were better.

It was a loud breakfast, filled with the boys talking and arguing and laughing in equal measures, but it was a good one.

After breakfast, Bruce took the boys outside with all of the supplies they needed to build a couple of rockets to launch into the air. It was his way of giving Alfred time to himself, time when he didn't have to worry about taking care of them, while also spending time alone with his sons.

The four of them sat outside working on each of their rockets. Tim and Jason sat cross legged on the grass, working on one design for both of them. They argued about the benefits of a rocket with sound aerodynamics versus one that simply looked cool. In the end, they comprised the way that they always seemed to. Jason gave up the cool wing-shape he wanted so that Tim could have the more aerodynamic ones while Tim gave up his minimal paint so that Jason could paint it the way he wanted.

Dick was quieter as he worked, focused on what he was doing. That wasn't anything that Bruce hadn't been expecting though. Father's Day was always hard for Dick in the same way that it was always hard for Bruce. He was stuck between mourning John Grayson and spending time with this family he had found after his father's death. Bruce never tried to make him choose between him or John. He took Dick out to his parents graves, or asked Alfred to do it if Dick didn't want him around, and never pushed Dick to interact with him on Father's Day. The fact that Dick always chose to, no matter how strained their relationship was, meant more to Bruce than he could ever verbalize.

When all four of them had finished their rockets, they set them up so they could see whose would fly the furthest. Tim and Jason ended up winning, but Bruce wasn't terribly surprised by that. Tim had put a level of thought behind their design that neither Bruce or Dick had bothered with.

Bruce got to spend time with the man who had raised him and with the boys who he was doing his best with.

It was exactly the way he wanted to spend Father's Day.

* * *

"You split your knuckles open again, didn't you?" Robin said as Stray dropped down next to him.

Batman hadn't liked the idea of them being out by themselves given the recent break out at Arkham, but he didn't like the idea of them being in the areas the Joker preferred either. The target on their backs only got bigger when they were there. In the Joker's territory information on Batman and those that ran with him was as valuable as gold.

In the end, Batman had decided letting them patrol alone near the docks was the better of the two options. They were supposed to be looking for any uptick in the gang activity - something to help figure out what Black Mask was doing and if Riddler and Penguin were up to old tricks since their escape - without actually getting involved.

Robin had been excited for it as first. He and Stray had been planning a lot of things for, and doing a lot of things with, their family recently. Robin didn't mind, was happy to give back to the people they loved by celebrating them, but he was glad to have sometime alone with Stray again. He'd missed the times when it was just the two of them being themselves.

Of course, that plan had gone down the drain the second Stray had seen a group of drug dealers replenishing their stock.

"Probably," Stray said.

"Definitely," Robin returned. Smaller and more nimble than Stray, landing on the roof hadn't sent quite as much of a shock through Robin's body as it had through Stray's. He was sure his partner was feeling the landing in his knees and the soles of his feet. Turning to Stray, Robin held a hand out. "Gloves off. Lemme see."

"Ugh really?"

"Yes," Robin said. He snapped his fingers. "Come on."

"Don't snap at me," Stray said, though there was a trace of amusement in his voice as he lifted his hand up to his mouth. He caught the fabric covering of his middle finger between his teeth before yanking. The glove dangled between his teeth for a moment before he dropped it into the palm of the one that was still gloved. He held his bare hand out towards Robin. "Here."

Robin hummed as he took Stray's hand in his own. He was still wearing his own gloves, but with their palms pressed together like they were he could feel the warmth of Stray's hands though them. He looked down to find Stray's knuckles looked exactly the way he was expecting - cracked and bleeding.

"You know better," Robin said, clicking his tongue a bit. He reached towards his belt with his free hand, going to pick up the disinfectant in his belt. He didn't have bandages to wrap them properly afterwards, but hopefully Stray's gloves would help with that a bit until they went back at the cave.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

" _Stray_ ," Robin stressed, glancing up at his face. Stray wasn't looking at him. Instead he was turned so he could look down look at the alleyway below them. His eyes weren't covered by his domino, so it only took Robin a second to know how false Stray's nonchalance was. Not that he really _needed_  to be looking at Stray to know that. He was an expert in Stray's body language. "B and C both told you to pull your punches. You're going to keep hurting yourself if you don't listen to them."

Stray let out a huff of air, frustration and irritation still heavy in the set of his shoulders. He didn't say anything.

Robin watched him for a moment before giving a small sigh. He knew better than to push Stray when he was like this, when something they saw struck a the kind of chord inside him that had him charging into situations before he thought properly about it.

Instead, he finished retrieving the disinfectant from his belt. "Brace yourself. I'm going to spray your knuckles now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Hi everyone! How was your month? Good I hope? 
> 
> 2) [Here](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/3e/9e/63/3e9e63b5e09d578b81c904ed44487311--womens-loungewear-pj-shorts.jpg) are Selina's PJs and [here](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/0f/8f/e7/0f8fe7158e412d6fa1bed7d743d1e566--short-reception-dresses-short-dresses.jpg) is the dress the boys give her. I'm not sure I did a great job of describing the second. Also here is [the locket](https://bnsec.bluenile.com/bluenile/is/image/bluenile/-antiqued-floral-round-locket-sterling-silver-/44984_main?%24phab_detailmain%24) the boys give her. 
> 
> 3) I'm irritated that I wrote the second section from Jason's point of view but the fourth from Bruce's. I wish I'd either done the second from Selina or the fourth from Tim, but it didn't work out that way. 
> 
> 4) If you guys didn't know each chapter of this story covers roughly three months, with this one ending in July. Meaning Jason turns fifteen next month. Do you guys know what happened in April of Jason's fifteenth year? :)
> 
> 5) Chapter title from Augusten Burroughs when talking about the fortune of having two parents who love you.


	9. Our Roots Will Always be Tangled

"Okay so," Jason said, slipping back into his seat next to Tim. He'd left Tim a while ago to go ask Alfred about the cake. "Alf said that I don't get to see the cake just because the party started and that I have to wait until he brings it out just like everyone else."

The two of them were in Wayne Manor's backyard where Jason's fifteenth birthday party was taking place.

There weren't many people, since there weren't many people in Jason's life that he cared about enough to invite to a party. There family was there - Bruce, Selina, Alfred, Dick, and Barbara - along with Barbara's father and Doctor Thompkins.

There were also a few members of the Justice League. Clark had come, bringing Lois along with him, as well as J'onn, but neither of them were really there for Jason. Clark had invited himself when he'd found out it was Bruce's son's birthday, mostly so that he could meet the son that didn't visit the watchtower with his friend. J'onn had wanted to see what a teenage human's party was like.

Jason didn't really care that they were there, but Tim knew he was disappointed that Diana wasn't around for Bruce to invite. Jason had spent a good part of the past month begging Bruce to let him meet Wonder Woman.

The Fox's had been invited as well, but they hadn't arrived yet. Selina and Jason had agreed it was better not to invite Ivy and Harley, so Tim and Jason had plans to go to Robins Park after the party.

"That sounds like a unsuccessful mission," Tim observed. He'd been sending a text message to Tam, the youngest Fox complaining about how Luke was making them all late, but now he set his phone down and turned towards Jason.

"It wasn't though!" Jason insisted. "Because I ran into Bruce and asked about it."

"And he told you?"

"Not exactly," Jason said. "But I convinced him to tell me what flavor it is - it's red velvet with cream cheese frosting for the record - and _then_  I bumped into Selina who I convinced to tell me that it's Wonder Woman themed."

"Sounds like something you'll like," Tim said.

Alfred had been keeping what kind of cake he'd gotten for Jason, Bruce having decided to buy one for the occasion but letting Alfred handle communications with the baker, under wraps so it could be a surprise along with his presents. Part of keeping a secret from Jason meant keeping it a secret from Tim as well. It wasn't like they deliberately ruined things by telling each other things, but they spent so much time together that things tended to slip out.

"It sounds like it's _amazing_ ," Jason answered. He shifted around, getting more comfortable in his seat. When he settled again, the two of them were pressed against each other in the way that they preferred. Which meant that they were pressed right up against each other, back in the comfortable bubble that they considered their space, with their shoulders and knees bumping. Tim hadn't necessarily felt wrong without Jason by his side, but things felt slightly more normal now that he was there. "Do you think we could convince Alfred to let us eat it earlier?"

"Tam and Lucas aren't even here yet," Tim pointed out.

"I shouldn't be punished for the fact that they're late," Jason said. "It's not like Bruce didn't tell Lucius what time to be here."

"Alfred isn't going to let you open presents and cut the cake before all of the guests are here," Tim repeated. "Regardless of why their late."

"Bruce might."

"Alfred would kill Bruce if he did that," Tim said. He bumped their shoulders together. "It's not going to be that much longer. You might as well just wait."

Jason groaned. He rested folded arms on the table and flopped forward with a groan. His voice was muffled as he said, speaking against his skin, "I don't want to though. I wanna eat the cake now."

Tim couldn't help the puff of air that slipped through his mouth. He was used to Jason being dramatic, but knowing it would happen hadn't stopped it from being funny yet.

Jason shifted his face so one eye was peeking out over his arm, letting him peer at Tim.

"Yes?" Tim said when a moment passed without Jason saying anything.

"Nothing," Jason said, ducking down to bury his head in his arms again. Tim leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he went to check his phone again. He'd heard it vibrate against the table, probably with another message from Tam, and he figured he might as well respond if Jason was going to pout. With his arms on the table like they were, their elbows were touching. "Let me know when Tam and Lucas get here?"

"I will," Tim said.

Alfred wouldn't let them hang out away from the guests for very long, but he didn't think the Fox's were going to be too much longer.

* * *

It didn't occur to Tim at first because the last few weeks of summer were such a whirlwind.

Selina had taken the two of them on vacation earlier in the summer, the three of them spending the two weeks after Tim's birthday in Italy, but she also took them to spend a weekend in Paris when they went to buy new school supplies and clothes. Jason and Tim had both thought that was a little extreme, especially Jason who had trouble spending large amounts of money on new clothes when his old ones were still fine, but Selina had insisted. Bruce managed to take some time off work and took all of them, the two of them as well as Alfred, Dick, Barbara, and Selina, for four days in the vacation house on Kauai.

Outside of the vacations, there were outings with Lucas and Tam. Tim went to Gotham Academy so he'd see them at school, but Jason didn't go to the same school as the three of them. There was time for them to hang out on the weekends, but not nearly as much as they would have liked. So they used the extra time that summer break gave them to spend more time with each other. There were days when they went out with Dick and Barbara. Between Dick living his Bludhaven, his shifts at the police station, and Barbara's college courses the four of them didn't see much of each other during the school season. So while all of them were still free, Dick made a point to take his little brothers out and spend time with them.

They were so busy being pulled around by the people in their lives, that it wasn't until things calmed down that Tim had a moment to really notice the changes in Jason.

It wasn't like Jason was a completely different person, but now that Tim was paying attention he could see the ways that Jason had changed over the summer. He'd grown again, adding a few more inches to their height difference, and he seemed to have gotten bigger. He hadn't gotten fatter, but his shoulders seemed wider and his biceps and thighs a bit thicker. They'd both gotten haircuts before summer, but Jason's dark locks had already grown out again. They curled around his ears and the nape of his neck.

It wasn't just his physical appearance that had changed. He was still Jason, dramatic and aggressive but also extremely kind and thoughtful. There was something different about him though. He hadn't exactly grown quieter, but it seemed like he was thinking more about things that he was doing. Sometimes, Tim would look up from his homework to find Jason staring off into space with a thoughtful look on his face and a frown on his lips. Jason had always been easy to work up, but now it seemed like he got there so much faster. It was like the injustice of the world was weighing heavier on his shoulders than it ever had before.

Tim wasn't sure how he felt about the changes. The person in front of him was still the Jason he knew, but there was something terrifying about the changes in him. It wasn't that Tim was afraid of Jason, but more that he was suddenly more afraid than ever of losing Jason. The two years between them had never seemed as big as it did now, when Jason seemed to be changing and growing up while Tim felt like he was being left behind.

Feeling terrified that somehow Jason would get sick of him, that if they kept spending all their time together Jason would start to think of Tim as childish and annoying, Tim found himself pulling away. It was impossible to disconnect himself from Jason completely, no amount of fear could bring him to do that, but he put more space between them then he usually did and made an effort not to force Jason to do things with him that he knew Jason only did because Tim had asked.

Tim hated it.

He wanted to go back to the way they were before, but he was desperate to make sure he didn't lose Jason.

* * *

Jason stood near the door, staring at Tim.

The two of them were at Selina's apartment. They'd only just gotten back from school, having gone out for lunch after Jason got Tim from Gotham Academy, so they were settling in to do their homework. Usually they'd sit together, either side-by-side on the floor with their backs against the couch so they could use the coffee table or with Tim laid out on his stomach on the couch while Jason sat on the floor so Tim's hip bumped his shoulders, but Tim had settled himself in the armchair.

Tim had been doing things like this since school had started a few weeks ago. He'd sit across the room from Jason and reject any offers Jason made for Tim to come sit with him. Sometimes he seemed to be avoiding Jason all together, either by doing things himself that they usually did together or by trying to talk Jason out of doing things with him. The other day when Tim had been going to get some parts to fiddle with his laptop, Jason had gotten up to go with him, only for Tim to insist that he could go by himself.

Jason suddenly felt exhausted with the entire thing.

"Tim," Jason said. The younger boy looked up from his backpack, having been bent over to rummage through it, at the sound of his name. "What's going on?"

"What?" Tim said, sounding confused.

"What's going on," Jason repeated.

"Nothing is going on," Tim said.

"Something is going on, because you're sitting in the armchair instead of sitting with me by the couch" Jason insisted. When Tim opened his mouth deny it, Jason followed up with, " _And_ you've been avoiding me for the past month."

"I haven't been-"

" _Babybird_."

Shame flashed across Tim's face.

Jason felt a pang of guilt, hating the fact that he was the one who put that look on Tim's face, but it passed quickly. Knowing what was going on with Tim was more important than trying to spare his feelings. Jason didn't want to make him feel terrible, but he wanted to know what was going on because not knowing hurt more.

There was a moment before Tim spoke up, voice soft as he said, "I just thought you'd want some space."

"Why would you think that?" Jason asked. He thought back on the end of their summer, trying to figure out where Tim would have gotten that idea from. "Did I say something to make you think that?"

"No," Tim said, shaking his head a bit.

"Then why would I want space from you?" Jason questioned.

"I just thought maybe you wouldn't want to hang out with a kid like me," Tim said with a small shrug. He wasn't looking at Jason. "I don't want to bother you by forcing you to hang around me."

"What are you even talking about?" Jason said. When a few moments passed without Tim saying anything, Jason let out a heavy sigh. He crossed the room, crouching down in front of the chair. Tim had grown since they'd met, but he was still significantly smaller than Jason was. He reached out, tapping Tim on the bottom of the chin and forcing Tim to look at him before he put his hands on either side of Tim's face to hold him in place. "Look, babybird, I don't know where you got the idea that I wouldn't want to hang out with you now. You being younger than me has never been a problem before. It's only two years, anyway."

"Two years is pretty big at our age," Tim said.

"You're ridiculous," Jason told him, shaking his head a bit. He leaned forward, pushing their foreheads together so he could be sure that Tim was looking right into his eyes. "I don't want space, okay? It's you and me until one of us dies, babybird. You got that?"

Tim nodded a bit. "Got it."

Jason didn't move for a moment, spending a moment just staring at Tim and trying to make sure that he really believed it. Then he pulled back. He tapped his hands against's Tim's cheeks, hard enough for Tim to feel it but light enough that there wouldn't be a sting, and tilted his face up so he could press his lips against Tim's forehead.

"Alright," Jason said, pulling away. He put his hands on his knees, pushing himself up. His recent growth spurts had his knees and shins aching. "Now can we please go sit on the couch? I really need to do my trig homework and it's way easier if you're there to help."

"I'm still in middle school, Jay," Tim said, but he climbed to his feet as well. "I don't how you expect me to help you with your homework."

"Well, for starters, I'm almost positive you know trig anyway," Jason said. He headed back across the room to grab his backpack from where he'd dropped it by the door. He'd taken what he needed for his science homework out, earlier, and left his backpack there so he could make an attempt at ignoring how much was left in there. "And secondly, even if you can't help I'm a little more motivated when your there. I'd rather get it done so I can do something with you than sit there all day procrastinating on it."

* * *

It took a few days, but things between Tim and Jason settled and went back to normal.

Jason was glad.

He was comfortable in his life now, didn't always feel so completely off guard by the things Selina did to take care of him and wasn't so completely confused as to how to interact with the other kids at his school, in a way that he hadn't been before. He wanted to start doing other things now that it didn't seem so hard to do those things.

It was true that he wanted to do them because he was more comfortable, but what made him so comfortable was _Tim_.

He loved Selina and Bruce. He'd never had people who cared for him so much that they did even half of the things the two of them did for him. But, it was Tim that kept him from feeling like he was drowning. He'd adjusted as much as he could when it'd just been him and Selina, but having Tim by his side had made it even easier to find his footing. It was easy to go out and do things with Tim by his side, to learn how to be a kid when he had Tim there to do things with him.

Over the next few weeks, Jason started branching out from his usual routines.

His school had a pretty good arts programs, even before Jason had entered Bruce's life the Martha Wayne Foundation had been funneling money into public schools to keep their programs running. So, when Jason found out they were doing auditions for the Winter play, and that the play was set to be one of his favorite Shakespearean pieces, he'd decided to take a chance. He ended up getting the part of Oberon in their production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Play rehearsals kept Jason at the school later then usual, so he couldn't make the journey out to Gotham Academy to pick Tim up after school. Instead Tim would make his way to Gotham Public. He'd sit in the auditorium were practice was, doing his homework or messing around on his DS, until Jason was finished. Then they would go home together.

Jason's circle expanded as he made friends with his cast mates. Puck was being played by a boy named Marcus who was a year younger than Jason. He was loud and energetic, loved to make people laugh and smile, and almost never seemed to stop talking. He was easy to get along with. For Jason, who got along with adults pretty easily but still struggled with other teens, that was just perfect. The girl playing Titania was a pretty Latina girl named Arielle. She was dramatic and over the top when it came to the show, but quiet outside of her performances. She was more concerned about the spring musical than the play, but she hadn't wanted to go most of the year without performing. Jason liked to sit in corners with her when they were waiting to practice their scenes, talking to her about musicals they liked and listening to her sing quietly. She was a nice break from Marcus' energy.

Tim was still the most important person in Jason's life and the two of them didn't do much separately, so Tim came to know Arielle and Marcus as well. There were days when Jason, Arielle, and Marcus didn't have much to do during practice. On those days the three of them would sit down in the audience with Tim until they were needed. They'd pull out their books and work on their homework together. Arielle was into chemistry and math, so on the rare occasion that Tim stumbled across something he struggled with she'd lean over and lend him a hand. The four of them would go out for something quick to eat after practice sometimes. They'd huddle around a table at a fast food restaurant. Arielle and Jason would slip into rapid Spanish until Marcus started throwing french fries at them, insisting that they speak English so they could all talk and begging Tim to join in with him.

When they met, Tim and Jason been lonely boys who had spent too much of their childhood's alone and who now spent too much of their nights sneaking around in the dark. They'd needed each other desperately. Because of that they'd always been something a little more than friends. That only become more clear as time went on.

Lucas and Tam meant a lot to Jason as well. They were the first people he'd met that he could sincerely consider a friend, but his relationship with them was wrapped up in his relationship with Bruce. They weren't friends with him because he was one of Bruce's sons, but the relationship between Bruce and Lucius _was_  in a way directly responsible for his relationship with Lucas and Tam.

Marcus and Arielle were Jason's first friends that he'd made of his own power.

* * *

"Master Bruce," Alfred said as he walked into the living room. He was carrying Bruce's favorite mug in one hand, one that Dick had gotten him for Fathers Day that said 'World's Best Farter' in giant letters with 'oops, I meant father' in tiny script below it, and a small plate of chocolate cookies in the other. "I brought you hot chocolate and cookies."

Bruce had been sitting in the giant armchair in the living room, practically sank into it with exhaustion from his argument with Jason, with his head buried in his hands, but now he looked up.

"Alfred," Bruce said, his voice sounding as wrecked as he looked. He looked at the comfort food in Alfred's hands before looking back at the man. "You heard all of that then?"

He'd spent the last half an hour arguing with Jason.

His son's had been invited to a Halloween party one of Jason's cast mates was having, but Bruce didn't want them out on Halloween. Not when the Joker had escaped from Arkham. Jason had tried to argue with Bruce had first, but when it became obvious that Bruce wasn't going to budge he'd escalated to shouting. Bruce was careful not to scream at his son, he knew that despite how loud Jason was that shouting back was one of the worst things he could do to him, but he'd refused to change his mind. The argument had ended up with Bruce telling Jason that he wasn't going to change his mind so he should quit now and Jason saying that he wasn't a _child_. Bruce had responded by sending Jason, and Tim by proxy since the two of them were attached at the hip, to his room.

"I did," Alfred said. "I thought you might want something to make you feel a little better."

"Thank you," Bruce said, reaching up to take the items from Alfred's hands.

"You are welcome." Alfred gave Bruce a moment to set the items down on the side table before he said, "I don't think you should take this quite as hard as you are, sir."

"My son just spent half an hour shouting at me. You don't think I should take that hard?"

"Your distress is understandable," Alfred said. "But Master Jason is a teenage boy spreading his wings for the first time. All boys this age argue with their parents. If I remember correct, you were much the same when you were a teenage."

Bruce had always been grateful for Alfred's role in raising him, knowing that Alfred had chosen to take care of him even though he didn't have to, but he'd been moody and angry as a teenager. They'd argued plenty of times. Bruce had said some pretty nasty things to his guardian. He'd apologized for a good portion of them once he'd gotten older.

"I'm just trying to protect them," Bruce said.

"Perhaps the threat wasn't as obvious, but I was trying to protect you as well, Master Bruce."

Bruce sighed before saying, "Thank you for your advice, Alfred." He added, "Could you take some of the cookies up to the boys as well?"

"Of course, sir."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Hello everyone! How are you guys this week?
> 
> 2) Recently I've been thinking about the chapter titles of this story and thinking that I'm not pleased with the last few. How do you guys feel about them? That being said this chapters title comes from Ally Condie. 
> 
> 3) [Here](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/08/c9/81/08c981c764a28b00f056647b0cb0528a.jpg) is what I imagine Jason's cake looks like even though it never actually appears in this fic. 
> 
> 4) I feel like the scene in Selina's apartment is a bit different from the general mood of this fic, but I wanted to put it out there. I wanted them to have a moment of indecision due to all of the changes in them and I thought it was important to do that before some of the big things that are coming. 
> 
> 5) I'm a little worried about this chapter, I feel like it's a bit all over the place?, so feedback appreciated. Do you think everything makes sense or does something not fit to you?


	10. You Lose the Capacity to Understand

"I'm not a child," Jason insisted.

"Really? Because I don't know too many adults that are screaming at the people trying to protect them," Bruce said. He looked much older than he was. His shoulders were set in a firm line, not angry but exhausted.

"This isn't protecting us!" Jason said. "You're just refusing to let us go out with our friends!"

Tim sat on the floor with his books spread out on the coffee table, steadily ignoring the argument ensuing near him. He had been working on his homework before Bruce had come home and he wasn't going to leave it undone just because Jason had decided to pick a fight.

Tam and Lucas had invited the two of them to go see a movie with them.

Both of them wanted to go, but Tim had known it wasn't going to happen.

When he'd first broke out, the Joker had laid low. Now there were more and more instances of crimes they thought the man was committing. They hadn't had much proof at first, just suspicions, but recently they'd got the man on a camera.

Or rather, he'd left several selfies for them at a crime scene.

Bruce was on high alert which meant he was cracking down more on Jason and Tim's activities. They were still free to do most of the things they did, but he wanted to know where they were at all times and didn't like them going out alone at night. They were under strict instructions to stay within his sight on patrols.

Tim knew that Bruce was just trying to protect them, but Jason felt suffocated by Bruce's worry. Tim understood more than anyone why Jason felt that way. He and Jason talked about Jason's past rarely, but Tim knew how much all of the things he was able to do now meant to him. Having those things taken away would never sit well with Jason. Not for any reason.

Still, Tim was beginning to find all of the fighting exhausting.

"Despite what you seem to think, I'm not trying to ruin your life, Jason," Bruce said. Tim really admired him. No matter how heated and loud Jason got, Bruce never raised his voice with Jason. He never escalated to shouting back. "I'm telling you no because I'm worried about what will happen to you if I tell you yes. I don't want him to get to you and hurt you." Out of the corner of his eye, Tim saw Bruce glance over at him. " _Either_  of you."

"I can handle him," Jason insisted. There was something in his voice that had Tim turning to look at him. Jason's shoulders were squared, defensive. "I can protect us. I'm not weak."

"This is something I'll handle," Bruce said. Jason pursed his lips, expression still stony. He continued,  "I don't want you going out at night. I'm sure if you ask Tamara and Lucas will be more than happy to wait until tomorrow afternoon to go to the movies."

"That's stupid!" Jason spat. "They shouldn't have to wait just because you don't think I can protect us!"

"I never said you couldn't-"

"It was implied!" Jason shouted.

"Jason, don't put words in my mouth," Bruce said.

"It's not like I completely made it up, Bruce!" Jason said.

Tim sighed a bit.

Before Jason had started shouting it was easy to ignore the fighting, but now that Jason's voice was rising he was finding it a little harder to focus on physics.

Jason must have caught the sound because he looked over at Tim.

"Come on," Jason said. He turned his back on Bruce, making his way over to the coffee table. He scooped his trig book up, it was lying open from before Bruce had gotten back, and swung his backpack over his shoulder. "Let's go to our bedroom, babybird."

"Are you sure?" Tim asked.

He didn't particularly want Bruce and Jason to fight, but at the same time he'd never actively pull Jason away from a fight. He didn't want to stomp on Jason's feelings like that, even if he found the arguing was getting a little old.

"Yeah," Jason said.

Jason didn't turn to look at Bruce as he walked away, but Tim did.

Tim caught the heartbreak that flashed across Bruce's face.

The arguments were terrible, but Tim knew first hand how badly it hurt to be completely ignored.

* * *

At first, the fighting was easy for Tim to deal with.

Jason wasn't _always_  fighting with Bruce. More often than not things were normal between them. Bruce took the two of them and Dick skiing for one of their Friday father-son trips. Tim had gone skiing with his parents before and Dick had been with Bruce before, but Jason had no experience with it. Tim stuck with Jason instead of going to the more advanced slopes, which everyone expected, but it was a bit more surprising Bruce stuck with them as well. He coached Jason through it. He helped Jason get back on his feet when he fell and praised him when he finally got the hang of it. Jason got frustrated, but he didn't start fighting with Bruce. He just got more determined to get it right. Afterwards, they burned their tongues on delicious hot chocolate before finally heading home. 

And while Jason might have been fighting with Bruce, he wasn't fighting with Selina. Jason and Selina were as close as they ever were. Selina had lived the way Jason had and she understood why his freedom meant so much to him. Bruce knew, but it was harder for him to comprehend. She backed Bruce up on not wanting the boys out at night while the Joker was out, but she bargained with Jason in a way that Bruce didn't. When Jason wanted to go see a production of Into the Woods, both because he loved the musical and because he wanted to take Arielle for her birthday since she loved musicals but had only ever seen one high end production, Selina hadn't shut him down immediately. Instead she explained that even though Tim and Jason had gone to see productions by themselves before, she wasn't comfortable with them going alone this time. However, she didn't mind going with the three of them to see it as long as that was alright. Jason had agreed, wanting to make sure Arielle had a nice birthday more than he wanted to go alone.

So as irritating at the fighting could be, there were reprieves from it that kept Tim from minding too much.

As time went on, though, the Jokers' crimes escalated.

Bruce was on edge, trying to catch the man but always being two steps behind.

He got more protective.

Jason's anger rose along with his desire to prove himself which resulted in the two of them fighting more.

Selina grew more cautious as well and Jason started arguing with her. It wasn't nearly as volatile as the arguments he was having with Bruce, Tim suspected that Jason would never be able to argue with Selina the way he argued with Bruce because his respect for the woman was so high, but there were more arguments than before.

Tim tried to be supportive, because Jason seemed to be doing his best to isolate himself from their family and needed _someone_  in his corner, but the longer things went on the harder it got. He understood that Jason was getting older and felt the need to prove himself, but he didn't understand why Jason didn't get that everything going on was because Bruce and Selina love them.

He didn't understand why Jason was fighting with two people who were just trying to take care of and protect them.

Tim thought they were extremely lucky to have parents who loved and cared for them so much.

* * *

Jason flinched as the needle went into his skin, tightening his grip on Tim's hand.

Tim always sat by him when he was injured. It didn't how many times Jason insisted that something didn't hurt and that he didn't need Tim by his side while he got fixed up. Secretly, or maybe not so given how well Tim knew him, Jason liked that Tim stayed with him when he was hurt.

He used to like how Bruce stayed with him as well.

Right now, though, Bruce's presence was annoying. Jason could feel the disappointment and irritation radiating out of the corner Bruce was watching from.

"Master Jason," Alfred said, his voice flat. Alfred's displeasure was different from Bruce's. It was tinted with all of the worry and affection that he felt for Jason. It didn't anger Jason, just made him upset that he'd worried Alfred so much. "Please sit still. I would hate to cause you any additional pain."

"Sorry, Alf," Jason said.

"Jason," Bruce said, speaking in that tone that had Jason's blood boiling. It always made Jason feel like he was being looked down on, like whatever he'd done wasn't just bad but it was also something beneath Bruce. "You can't just run off like that. We had a plan for a-"

"Master Bruce," Alfred cut in, his voice sharp in a way it rarely was with Bruce. "Perhaps we should leave the scolding until after I've finished closing the wound on Master Jason's head? I'm sure Master Jason was able to grasp your point when you were yelling at him on the way over."

Bruce's mouth snapped shut so quickly  that Jason thought he might've heard it if he'd been sitting closer to him. For the first time since they entered the cave, Jason found himself wishing that Bruce was nearer to him.

After a moment, Bruce said, "Fine. I'll be in the other room." He turned on his heel, executing what Jason could only describe as a perfect storm out. He was actually a little jealous. The entire family liked to make fun of how dramatic Jason could get, but it was pretty apparent that Bruce had him beat by a mile.

"Thank you, Alf," Jason said.

"Do not thank me," Alfred answered. "I didn't send him away to keep you from being scolded. What you did was stupid and put all three of you in danger." Alfred was in Jason's face as he stitched together the wound on Jason's forehead, so Jason couldn't look away from the disappointment in his eyes. "However, I don't agree with Master Bruce either. He did not handle the situation well after you ran off. Furthermore, I do not believe in yelling at injured young boys."

Jason was quiet for a moment before muttering, "I'm sorry, Alfred."

Alfred hummed quietly.

There was silence for a moment before he said, "Just one more to go, Master Jason."

"Okay."

"I'll leave the yelling to Master Bruce, but please keep in mind that there are many people who care for you," Alfred said. Finished with the last stitch, he leaned backwards. He looked Jason right in the eyes as he said, "No one wishes to see you get hurt."

"I know," Jason said.

Alfred watched him for a moment, as if he was gauging whether or not Jason actually understood him.

Then he let out a soft sigh.

He turned, grabbing a roll of bandages from the table next to him, as he said, "Now, I'll put a bandage over it and give you some painkillers. Then you and Master Timothy can go upstairs for bed."

"You're not gonna make me go find Bruce?"

"No," Alfred said, shaking his head a bit. "You've had enough for tonight I think. The rest can wait until tomorrow morning."

* * *

Jason didn't like fighting with Bruce and Selina, but he didn't like the things they said to him either.

The things they said to him made him feel like they didn't trust him. It felt like they thought he wasn't capable of protecting himself or Tim. He hated that. They acted as though Jason hadn't spent most of his life on his own. He knew he hadn't taken very good care of his mother, that he hadn't protected her the way he should've, but he wasn't going to make the same mistakes with Tim. He was going to do absolutely everything he could to make sure that he did a better job protecting Tim than he had his mother.

He wanted to make Selina and Bruce proud of him the same that he'd wanted Catherine to be proud of him. 

He wanted to do better for them than he'd done for her, but it was _so hard_.

He didn't think he'd ever be what they wanted him to be though.

He had thought he could be. He thought he could be the kind of person that Selina and Bruce would want in their lives, but now he was becoming more and more certain that he couldn't.

They wanted him to be more careful, wanted him to be less aggressive, less _angry_.

Jason didn't know how to do that.

He didn't know how he was supposed to spend his nights fighting the same people over and over again and not get angry. He didn't know how he was supposed to watch the same criminals break out of prison every week and not want to do something to stop them from being able to break out. He didn't know how Bruce could keep doing the same thing every night when what they were doing wasn't _changing_  anything.

Bruce and Selina kept telling him that he and Tim couldn't do things because the Joker had escaped again.

But nothing Batman did could keep him in Arkham.

If Jason couldn't do something because the Joker was out than he was _never_  going to be able to do anything. The two of them would never be able to go out to see a midnight premier of one of Tim's dorky movies. They'd never be able to go to one of the parties Marcus threw and invited the entire cast of the play too, innocent things where the cast members came to the next practices telling stories about games of flash light tag and glow-in-the-dark dance parties. They'd never be able to accept Tam and Lucas' invitations to go up to the Fox's cabin on one of Gotham Academy's long weekends.

The Joker was always going to be a threat because Bruce would never do anything to him that would actually _stop_  him from being a problem, so Jason was never going to be able to do _anything_.

He didn't want to fight with Bruce and Selina. He just wanted to make them proud. But he couldn't help getting angry when he couldn't understand why anyone expected him to okay with having his life dictated by a crazy clown.

* * *

"Hey," Selina said, feeling exhausted as she approached the table Bruce was sitting at.

They were in a small coffee shop not too far from the museum that Selina was currently working at. She had been hired to look at the jewelry they'd acquired for their history of fashion exhibit. The exhibit was set to go through hundreds of years of fashion and they wanted to make sure each piece they were acquiring was authentic. Selina was genuinely excited for the job. There were very few things that she loved more than spending her day staring at pretty gems in pretty jewelry. 

When Selina called Bruce to set up the meeting, he'd insisted on coming to her rather than having her go to one of the cafes near Wayne Enterprises. She hadn't bothered arguing with him for very long, knowing that Alfred had instilled very gentlemen-y ideals in him.

"Hello," Bruce greeted.

He lifted up from his seat and moved towards her. They exchanged a tight hug before pulling apart.

Instead of immediately sitting down again, Bruce took a moment to pull Selina's chair out for her. 

As she sat down, she said, "Thank you."

"It's no problem," Bruce dismissed. He pushed the chair in for her, before he settling back down in his own seat. Once he was seated, he pushed a tall cup and a small plate with a piece of cake on it towards her. "I got you a mocha and a piece of cheesecake."

"Oh! Thank you!" she said, reaching to pull the items closer to her. "You didn't have to do that."

"I know." Bruce gave her a small smile. He said, "I just thought the sweets might make the conversation more bearable."

When she looked up at him, she noticed how much older he looked since the last time they'd spent time together like this. It was clear how much the situation was weighing on him. 

"Oh, Bruce," she said.

She abandoned her treats in favor of reaching a hand out towards him.

He reached forward instantly, slipping his fingers between hers and squeezing.

"I hate it," Bruce admitted. She knew how hard his fights with Dick had been on him, but the fights with Jason seemed to be taking an even bigger toll. She didn't think it was because Jason meant more to him than Dick did. Rather she thought it was because, despite all of the recent improvement, his relationship with Dick was far from repaired and he was already losing another one of his sons. She wondered if she could soothe any of that. He hadn't confided in her as much as she would have liked when it came to his problems with Dick, but Jason was one of _their_  sons and she hoped he trusted her to help him. "I absolutely hate this."

"So do I," Selina said. "Jason's a teenager. He's frustrated and he wants freedom. I hate not being able to give him that, but I don't want him to be hurt either. I just want to protect him. I want to protect _them_."

He was quiet for a moment before he said, "I can't keep letting him come out with Tim and I. He gets too angry and goes too far. He stops thinking about what he's doing. He's not just going to hurt someone else. He's going to hurt himself."

"I can't bring him with me either," Selina said. "He's getting too reckless and impulsive. He's going to get us caught and that's..."

She'd always known there was a risk of getting caught. It had been a risk that was worth taking when she'd first started out.

Things were different now, though. 

Jason had lost his birth father to prison. She knew Willis Todd hadn't really been much of a father, but she didn't want him to have to go through that again. She didn't want to put him through that with someone that was more involved in his life than Willis had been.

On top of that, she had Jason working with her. If she went down, so would he. None of this was what she'd intended when she took Jason in. She'd just wanted to help him be who she knew he could be. If they got caught and he ended up in jail for it than nothing she had done mattered. She would have been responsible for throwing him back into the future she'd been trying to help him avoid.

And all of that was before she even considered what being ripped away from Jason with such permanence would do to Tim.

Bruce squeezed her hand. "I know."

"But Jason's not going to like being benched," Selina said. Something heavy settled in her chest as she said, "It's only going to make things worse."

"Yes," Bruce said. Despite all the pain Selina knew he had to be feeling, because knowing that they were going to do something to Jason that was only going to make their relationship worse was tearing them both apart inside, he added, "But he's going to be _safe_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Hi everyone! I hope you've been having a good month and that you liked this chapter. Comments appreciated if you did!
> 
> 2) I'm sure everyone knows this, but take what Jason says in the third section with a grain of thought. He's an extremely emotional kid at this point and the most biased narrator this chapter, I think. 
> 
> 3) I go for a minimum of 2500 each chapter (500 for each section) and this exceeds that a bit, but not nearly as much as the other chapters have. It ended up feeling a little short comparatively because of that. 
> 
> 4) Subtitling his chapter "or the one where no one understands anyone else and everyone thinks themselves in circles"


	11. You Don't Realize How Bad A Decision Is Until It's Too Late

"I can't believe them!" Jason exclaimed. He was speaking quickly, words coming out in an angry, ranting rush. "I can't believe they did this!"

Tim and Jason were in their bedroom at Bruce's house. While Jason paced in front of the bed, wearing a pair of dark jeans and a white tee-shirt, Tim was sat on the bed with his legs folded under him. He had been sure to set himself far enough back on the bed that Jason's arms weren't going to smack him in the face every time Jason made a particularly wild, angry gesture.

"They're just worried about you," Tim said.

"They don't need to be!" Jason insisted. "I can take care of myself!"

Tim caught his lower lip between his teeth, debating what to say.

He knew Jason wanted him to agree with him, to tell him that he thought their guardians were being ridiculous as well and that he would help Jason talk them out of banning him from going out as Stray.

But well...

At first, Tim had thought Bruce and Selina's worry was unnecessary. But as time went on, he was becoming just as concerned as they were about Jason. The older boy was growing more reckless. Sometimes it seemed to Tim like Jason didn't care what he was doing as long as whatever he was doing went against what Bruce and Selina told him to do.

Tim hated that.

What Jason did as Stray was dangerous, more so than what Tim did as Robin since Jason preferred to use his body as a weapon and didn't have the distance Tim's bo staff allowed him. It would have been unrealistic to think that he'd never get injured, but Jason's disobedience was resulting in him being injured more often and more severely. Tim had watched Alfred stitch Jason back up more times in the past week than he had any other.

Relief had swept through Tim when he'd heard that Jason was being benched. He knew what Stray meant to Jason, but he also knew that he didn't want to _lose_  Jason.

So, Jason wanted Tim to agree with him, but Jason couldn't do that. 

"Jay-" Tim said.

Jason had been looking in front of himself as he paced, but something in Tim's voice must've portrayed how he was going to answer.

Jason whipped around to look at Tim. He winced when he saw the anger and betrayal in Jason's eyes. It was a look that had been thrown around the house a lot lately, but it'd never been directed at Tim before.

"You're siding with _them?_ " Jason spat out. The emotiona in his eyes were even more apparent in his voice.

Pain and guilt lanced through Tim, but it did nothing to change his mind.

He hated being the reason Jason looked like that, but he knew that his decision was the best for keeping Jason safe.

"Yes," Tim said. "You've been reckless lately. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'm not being reckless," Jason objected. "Just because I'm not doing things the way they want me to doesn't mean that I'm being reckless! There's more than one way to get things done!"

"There is," Tim said, frustration beginning to bubble in his chest. He wasn't used to being upset with Jason, had never really been irritated by him like this before, but he didn't understand why Jason was being so deliberately obtuse. Jason was smarter than he was acting. He knew as well as Tim did that the plans Jason was coming up with were dangerous - for whoever they were chasing as well as Jason. "But that doesn't mean that the way you're choosing to do things isn't reckless! Bruce's ways might not be the best way, but his way is better than yours!"

Jason reeled back as if Tim had physically hit him.

He was hurt, Tim knew, by Tim trusting Bruce's ideas more than he trusted Jason's. By the implication that Tim trusted _Bruce_  more than he trusted _Jason_.

"Jason," Tim said, "you're hurting people and you're hurting yourself."

"They deserve it! Those people are hurting everyone in this town and Bruce isn't doing anything except throwing them in cells they keep escaping from," Jason said. "I don't care if I get hurt as long it means I can actually _help_ people."

"I care!" Tim exclaimed. "Maybe they do keep breaking out of Arkham, but we can just keep putting them back in. But it's not so easy to fix things if you get hurt, Jason. Something could happen that you won't be able to get back up from, that we won't be able to patch up with some stitches and bandaids."

"I wouldn't need to be fixed if you and Bruce would care a little bit more about the people in this town!" Jason answered. He turned away from Tim, making his way towards the door. "I'm going to the library."

Tim heard the silent command not to follow.

* * *

To say that Tim disliked fighting with Jason would be an understatement.

Tim had never felt unhappy with the way he and Jason were. He'd always been glad for it. He was happy for the assurance that no matter what happened Jason was going to be by his side, so he had never had any reason to be anything except happy with things between them.

So if Tim had to describe his feelings on fighting with Jason, he wouldn't say he disliked it. He'd say that he hated fighting with Jason with every fiber of his being. It felt _wrong_  not to have Jason by his side and even wronger to be angry at someone who was typically his entire world.

Actively ignoring each other only lasted a few hours. Tim went down to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of Alfred's cookies that he he took to the library. Jason's eyes had been sharp when Tim entered the room, but they'd softened when he saw the plate of cookies in Tim's hands. They sat together at the table in the room, eating cookies while Jason told Tim about the book he'd been reading.

Talking to each other again didn't mean that Jason's anger had faded away, though, and in the aftermath of their fight, a rift formed between the two of them.

To someone who didn't know them very well, it would have seemed like nothing was wrong. But to people who knew them, it was obvious that something had happened.

Jason and Tim stayed in each other's orbit, but there was space between them that hadn't been there before. Their shoulders didn't bump together and their fingers didn't catch on each others. They'd sit with each other like always, but they no longer draped themselves over each other. One of them would sit at one end of the couch while the other sat on the floor at the other side.

They didn't speak to each other as often as they had before either. They had always had a tendency to sit in silence, they spent all of their time together and talking all of the time would have been ridiculous, but the silences now were different. Alfred wouldn't walk by their bedroom long after their bedtime and hear the two boys giggling instead of sleeping. When they were with their friends, their conversations rarely intersected the way they used to. They preferred to talk as if the other wasn't in the room. They still spoke to each other, but their conversations weren't what they had been before.

Tim hated it. He wanted to go back to the way things had been before.

But things couldn't go back to the way they were if Jason wasn't around.

There was no Tim-and-Jason without Jason. 

Bruce and Selina had been right in taking Stray away from Jason, no matter how much it had hurt him, and Tim stood firm in that belief.

He didn't think Jason was going to change his mind either, but Tim refused to back down. Not when there was even a vague hope that Jason would realize that Tim was right and see why it was that everyone believed so firmly that Jason was being far too reckless and dangerous.

* * *

"Tim!" Jason exclaimed as he burst into their bedroom. Tim jumped, obviously surprised by Jason's sudden entrance. Jason didn't really blame him for it. Usually Jason was in the room when Tim got back from his patrol with Bruce and Selina, not asleep but with his back turned so he wouldn't have to talk to Tim, but Jason had been in the library right up until now. "Help me!"

"What?" Tim said, worry thick in his voice. Standing in the middle of their bedroom dressed in dark pajama pants covered in bright blue sharks and a black tee-shirt, his hair still sticking up from patrol and his face filled with worry, Tim looked even younger than he was. Jason was struck by a familiar urge to protect him. Jason was upset with him, because Tim siding with Bruce and Selina instead of him felt like the biggest betrayal, but his love for Tim and his desire to keep him safe had never wavered. "Bruce is still in the cave. We should go-"

"No! No Bruce!" Jason insisted. He stepped further into their room, carefully closing the door behind him. "I need your help, not Bruce's."

"What?" Tim repeated.

"I went to my old neighborhood earlier this week to check on some of the kids," Jason said. It was something he did occasionally. It was one of the few things he did without Tim. He wanted to help the kids growing up like he had in whatever way he could, but taking Tim anywhere near Crime Alley would have been a disaster. There were rules there that Tim didn't know and that Jason couldn't teach him. "And one of my old neighbors told me something, so I ran my DNA through the bat computer."

"What?" Tim said. Jason could tell that with each piece of information he shared, Tim was only growing more confused. He was hearing what Jason was saying, but didn't have the pieces to put it all together. "What did she tell you that made you do that?"

Jason took the chance to shove the folder in his hands into Tim's. He'd been in the library staring at it since he'd gotten the results of the DNA test he'd done. It'd been hard to find a record of Catherine's DNA since she was dead and he couldn't just acquire a new sample, but she'd had a DNA test done shortly after his birth to prove that she hadn't committed one of Willis' crimes. Jason had been able to use the police database and compare it to the samples of his own DNA that were already in the bat-computer.

"Catherine Todd wasn't my mother," Jason told Tim. He saw the exact moment when Tim read the same thing on the papers in his hand, Jason's words backed up by the science in his hands. "I still have a parent! I have a _mom_  out there somewhere." When Tim looked away from the papers, meeting Jason's eyes after a moment, Jason reached out. He put his hands on Tim's arms, near his elbows, and insisted, "You have to help me find her. _Please_."

Tim glanced back down at the papers in his hands.

When he looked back at Jason, he nodded. "Okay. I'll help."

Relief rushed through Jason. He let go of Tim's arms in favor of throwing himself at Tim and wrapping him in a hug. It'd been weeks since the two of them had touched like this, been wrapped up in each other the way that was usually so normal for them, and having Tim in his arms now felt amazing.

Tim seemed surprised by the contact, but then his arms lifted and he hugged Jason back.

"Thank you," Jason said. "Thank you _so much_ , babybird."

"Of course," Tim said.

If Jason hadn't been so happy about Tim agreeing to help him, hadn't been so happy about the prospect of finding his mother, than he might have noticed the way Tim's voice wavered. He might have noticed the small sliver of uncertainty in Tim's voice, the part that made it clear he wasn't convinced this was the best idea or that maybe he thought the entire thing was a little unnecessary.

But he was focused on his own glee and Tim's worries never entered his mind.

* * *

The two of them spent the next month searching for Jason's birth mother in-between their classes and Tim's patrols.

The idea that he had a parent out there had him ecstatic, but what made him even happier was spending time with Tim again. Nothing felt better than sitting side-by-side at the bat-computer, usually when Bruce was at Wayne Enterprises and wouldn't interrupt them, with their knees bumping and their shoulders pressed together when Jason leaned in to point something out on the screen.

He knew that the distance between them was partially his own fault, but he couldn't bring himself to forgive Tim's betrayal. It just stung too much. It made him feel like he wasn't good enough for Tim, the same way that he hadn't been good enough for Catherine and the same way that he wasn't good enough for Bruce and Selina. He wanted to be useful to them. He wanted them to be proud of him. But no matter what Jason tried, it never worked. He always ended up letting the people he loved down.

Eventually, after almost a month of Tim searching the internet and Jason interviewing half his old neighborhood, the two of them came up with a name.

Sheila Haywood. She was a doctor, an aid worker, in Ethiopia.

She was so different than what he'd been expecting. He couldn't imagine that someone like that would have given the Willis Todd the time of day. He wondered how Willis managed to convince someone like that, someone smart enough to not only go to Medical school but to make it through to graduation, to be with him long enough for Jason to have been conceived.

Jason swore that he would do better with Sheila. He hadn't been able to take care of Catherine, but Jason was going to make sure he did better with her. He was older now. He knew more about where and how to get things. He hadn't been able to make Bruce and Selina proud, but he was going to make her proud. He was going to do whatever it took to make sure that he didn't disappoint someone else.

After some brainstorming, Jason decided that he would go to Ethiopia to meet Sheila since she wouldn't be in Gotham anytime soon. Selina had a job planned in Russia soon and if Jason left when Selina was gone, than there would be one less person who would notice his absence. He didn't think Bruce would notice at all. Alfred might, but Alfred would bring it up with Bruce and the chances of Bruce dismissing it as Jason being moody were pretty high.

Tim had tried to argue, saying that Jason should go when Bruce and Selina were both around so someone could follow him if something happened, but Jason had laughed him off. He was going to meet a woman who was an _aid worker._ What could possibly happen to him? Tim was still concerned, but Jason managed to talk him down enough for Tim to agree.

Tim used his Drake credit card to buy Jason a plane ticket. They had a joint card from Bruce. He'd sat them down one day and explained that everything he had was also Tim and Jason's. They were free to do what they wanted with the card as long as they stayed within a monthly allowance and asked before making any absurd purchases. But Bruce would notice a plane ticket on their purchases and catch on to what was going on before Jason could even make it to the airport.

So, Jason took a cab to Gotham's airport on a rainy April afternoon.

Tim knew he should have told Bruce where Jason went the second that they bought the ticket. But he was too scared of what their relationship would be like if he broke Jason's trust. Instead, he kept his mouth closed and didn't say a thing.

That would end up being one of the biggest regrets of his life.

* * *

"Selina!"

Selina reeled a little bit. She hadn't checked her caller ID before picking it up so she hadn't really been expecting anything, but Harley practically sobbing into her ear wasn't something that she would have anticipated even if she _had_  looked at the caller ID before picking it up.

She was sitting in a cab, on her way to get something to eat. She'd been in Russia for about two days. She was in Moscow currently, but she was set to head to St. Petersburg where her job was actually taking place the next morning. She'd just had to finish up some last minute recon before she could do the actual thieving.

"Harley," Selina said, her voice dropping. She kept her tone soft and low, trying for comforting. She didn't think she'd been nearly as good at this voice before the boys had come into her life. Sometimes she looked back on the small things that she'd gained the ability to do since taking in Jason and marveled at them. Growing up she hadn't thought she had those things in her. "What's wrong? Is Pamela okay?"

"It's Jason!" Harley sobbed.

"What?" Selina had been lounging before, but now every muscle in her body was tense. She felt more alert than ever. She and Harley cared for each other. It wasn't unusual for them to cry to each other on occasion. But there were only a few reasons why Harley would call her crying like this about _Jason_  and there wasn't a single one of them that made Selina feel good. "What happened?"

"Mistah J has him," Harley said.

Selina had been expecting that, but her stomach dropped regardless. Her blood felt as though it had turned to ice. "Where is he?"

"I-I don't know," Harley said. "They aint in Gotham. Mistah J called me, said he'd buy me a ticket if I wanted to h-help..."

"Help? Help him with what?"

Harley let out another choked, sob. "If I wanted to help him declaw a kitten."

Selina squeezed her eyes shut. It felt like all of the air had been squeezed out of her body.

It took her a moment to get her voice back, to speak over the fear that had overcome her entire body, "Harley, you have to agree. You have to go see him."

"W-What?"

Normally Selina would never have suggested sending Harley to her abuser, but she didn't know how long it would take Bruce to figure out where the Joker had Jason and they didn't have any time to lose. Not when Harley had a surefire way to figure it out so quickly. "You have to let him buy you the ticket and you have to go find him."

"I-I-I-"

"If any of the affection you feel for me or my son is genuine, then you will go to him. You will find my son and you will do your best to protect him until Bruce and I can get there," Selina said, hating herself for giving Harley such a terrible ultimatum but knowing this was the best way. Her voice was dripping with desperation, as she added, "You're the only one who can this, Harley. _Please_."

"I-I will," Harley agreed. There was a moment before Harley repeated, her voice still wobbly but something steely underneath it. "I'll do it. I'll call him back right now and tell him I want him to buy me the ticket."

"Thank you."

They hung up immediately afterwards.

Selina leaned forward, putting her hand on the cab driver's shoulder to catch his attention. "Изменение планов. Пожалуйста, отведите меня в аэропорт как можно быстрее. Я заплачу дополнительно."

Once he had nodded his assent, she lifted her phone back up.

She was going to let Bruce know what had been said on her previous phone call and then she was going to chew him out for either not telling her that someone so dangerous had their son or for not realizing that their son was missing and with someone so dangerous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Hello everyone!! Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter! The next one will be a longer one (it's got seven scenes instead of the usual five). 
> 
> 2) I'm really sorry if this chapter isn't up to the usual standards. I don't think it's terrible, but I worry that I might've rushed it and I'm just not seeing the problems. I've only got two weeks until my school quarter is over and I've got too big projects that are keeping me occupied, but I didn't want to make you guys wait so I tried to do some writing in between stuff. 
> 
> 3) I can't remember for the life of me where I read that Jason found out about his mom from an old neighbor?? But I remember reading that and I thought that'd be a cool story to play with this time bc I can totally imagine Jason using Bruce/Selina's money to help other kids like him?


	12. Stay Alive ‘til This Horror Show is Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: there is a brief mention of trauma leading to infertility in Selina's section.

Bruce sat in a chair in his bedroom, watching as Alfred folded his clothes and put them into a bag for him.

He had been doing it himself, but his motions had been too frantic. His hands were shaking too much for him to be able to make everything he needed - just the things he _absolutely_ needed because there was no time to waste on anything else - and it had been a mess that would have needed repacked. Alfred had stepped up instead, gently moving Bruce away from the bed and insisting on doing it himself.

He didn't know how Alfred had even known what he was doing given that Bruce hadn't taken the time to wake the man up. He'd just shown up in the room, face full of gentle concern.

Watching Alfred pack for him was a different kind of curse though.

Not having something to do with his hands gave Bruce time to think.

He thought about how he didn't know how long the Joker had had Jason, only that it had been about an hour since Selina had called him to tell him that their son wasn't simply holed up in the boys' room for the afternoon. He thought about how the batwing could cut the flight between New Jersey and Ethiopia by half, but how that would still be ten hours. He thought about how that would be ten more hours that Jason was going to spend in the hands of a man who Bruce knew had no problems with hurting, with _torturing,_  a child. Especially not when that child was Bruce's.

On top of that, Bruce couldn't help wondering _why_ Jason was in Ethiopia.

The Joker had done some pretty ridiculous things in the name of Bruce's attention, but it didn't make sense for him to take Jason all the way to Ethiopia to do that. Sure, there was the benefit of Bruce wracking his mind trying to figure things out, but that just didn't fit with the Joker. Gotham had always been his preferred playground. Which meant that Jason had to have been planning on going to Ethiopia anyway. The Joker had just caught on to it before he had.

And wasn't that a kick in the teeth as well. That his relationship with Jason had become so strained that _the Joker_  realized his son was planning on leaving the country before Bruce had. Before Bruce had realized his son wasn't in the house, Jason had gone to a country that was almost twenty hours away and gotten grabbed by the Joker. Bruce had taken so long to get with the program that the Joker had even had time to call Harley for help in torturing Jason. 

Bruce took a deep breath, his chest shaking.

He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and then resting his head in his hands.

He'd wanted to do better with Jason and Tim than he had with Dick. He didn't want to push them so much that he pushed them away. He wanted them to _know_  how proud he was of them, even if they grew away from his beliefs. He never wanted them to doubt his love the way Dick did. He thought he could do it, especially with Selina by his side. She'd always made him a better person, a better man. He'd thought having her with him would make him a better father as well. Apparently he was so bad at parenting that not even Selina could fix him.

"What's going on?" Bruce startled at the sudden statement. He looked up to find Tim standing in the doorway to his bedroom. He was wearing one of Jason's theater shirts, a bright red shirt proclaiming the school and production on the front with the cast names on the back, and a pair of black pajama pants. Jason's shirt hung loosely off him, making him look even smaller than he was. He was rubbing at one of his eyes, obviously half asleep and trying to wake up a bit. "Why are you packing? Did I miss something?"

"Master Timothy," Alfred said. His voice was heavy with something like sympathy. "I'm afraid we have bad news."

"What?" Tim said. He straightened up, looking suddenly more awake. "What happened?"

Bruce's brain was spinning as he watched the exchange.

Tim and Jason shared everything in their lives. There were no secrets between them. Tim would have noticed Jason was missing immediately. Given how long ago Jason would have had to left to already be in Ethiopia...

Selina had been on her way to an early dinner when she'd called, so it was just past six in the morning in Gotham. Tim and Bruce had only gotten in from their patrol a few hours ago. Even if Jason had, for some reason, kept his trip to Ethiopia secret from Tim, Tim would have noticed Jason missing when he crawled into bed after patrol. He would have come to find someone if Jason was missing, which left Bruce to the conclusion that...

"You knew Jason was leaving," Bruce said, cutting into the conversation before Alfred could say anything else to him. His words came out harsher than he meant to, but Bruce couldn't find it in him to feel bad about that. The idea that Tim had known Jason was running away and hadn't bothered to tell anyone was infuriating. Tim jumped at his harsh tone, turning away from Alfred to focus on Bruce. "You knew he was leaving and you didn't say anything."

"He told me not to," Tim said. "He didn't want you and Selina to know what he was doing."

Bruce stared at him. He didn't know what his face looked like, but it must not have been anything good because Alfred said, "Master Bruce, there's no reason to glare at Timothy like that. Even if he knew that Jason was leaving, there's no way he could've known this would happen. He never would have allowed Jason to do something that would put him in harms way."

"In harms way?" Tim repeated. Alarm was written all over his face. His head bobbed between Alfred and Bruce, obviously unsure who to look for for information. "What? Why? He was just going to meet his-" Bruce's eyes narrowed, but before Tim stopped before he finished. He corrected, "He was just going to meet an aid worker. Someone he knows."

"Tim," Alfred said, still speaking in that soft, gentle tone. "Jason...The Joker has him."

* * *

Bruce sat in the pilot's chair of the batwing, his feet drawn up onto the chair with him. His eyes were focused on the sky outside the window, but his mind was hardly in the same place. Autopilot was guiding the plane for now. The only thing Bruce needed to do was catch the controls if something slipped into the planes path. It was a relief because Bruce was finding it hard to focus on anything other than what Tim had told him and Alfred before Bruce left.

There had been so much going on in his house that he hadn't known about.

Bruce had known that Jason occasionally visited his old neighborhood to check on some of the other street kids, bringing them food that didn't need to be refrigerated or cooked. But he was so out of the loop when it came to his son's life that he didn't know that those trips had led to Jason finding out that Catherine Todd, who hadn't done right by him but who his son had loved with all his heart, wasn't his mother. He knew that Jason had ended up embracing the new information, but he couldn't imagine how Jason must have felt when he first heard. Jason had been struggling with that and Bruce hadn't been there for him.

He knew that Jason was feeling angry. He knew that Jason was upset with him and Selina. But he didn't know that everything they had done in the name of keeping him safe had made Jason feel isolated and unloved. He didn't know that Jason was feeling those things, much less that he was feeling them so strongly that he was seeking out a parent other than the two of them.

He thought about how Jason had had his duties as Stray to help him with his emotions, to help him channel the anger that crime alley fostered in it's kids and give him a positive use for it. He thought about how Jason had been going through something every kid went through, trying to figure out who he was and establish his independence. He thought about how he and Dick had butted heads when Dick was in the same place. He thought about how instead of recognizing a problem he'd gone through with his older son, he'd let himself get spooked by the Joker and taken Jason's outlet away from him.

He thought about why Selina had taken Jason in. He thought about this wonderful, intelligent boy that she had wanted to give a better life. He thought about how _he_  had wanted to give Jason a better life than what he would have had in crime alley. He thought about how taking Jason out of crime alley didn't mean that Jason hadn't grown up there. It didn't change what living there had made him into. But Selina had taken him in so that he wouldn't _just_  be that, so that he wouldn't fall into the life of violence and drugs that so many kids in that area did. So that he'd be safer than he would there. But instead Bruce had gotten involved and Jason had ended up in the hands of a man that could hurt him just as badly as life in crime alley would have, if not more.

It would have been easy to say that Jason being taken by the Joker was validation for his fear.

It was harder to admit that Bruce's reaction to his fear was probably what had driven Jason to a place where the Joker could grab him.

* * *

Tim sat on the couch in the Wayne's living room, curled up with his arms locked around drawn up knees and a blanket wrapped around his shoulder. Barbara sat by his side, one arm wrapped around Tim's shoulders as she pressed against his side. There was a movie playing on the TV in front of them, but he didn't think she was watching it anymore than he was.

He'd stayed in his bedroom for a while after Bruce had left. Alfred had pushed him in there, insistent that Tim get a few more hours of sleep because staying awake wasn't going to get Bruce to Ethiopia any quicker.

They'd shared their bedrooms, and the beds within them, for almost as long as they'd known each other. At first it had been because they'd just been guests, Jason feeling more at home with Selina and Tim at Bruce's, but even after they settled into their places with Bruce and Selina they didn't move. Bruce and Selina both had room for them to separate, but there was a comfort that came with staying at each others sides. Tim was used to being left alone. The fact that Jason never left, even if sometimes their attachment seemed a little too much to people that liked their space, was something Tim had always found comfort in.

So lying in bed alone had just made it more apparent that Jason was gone.

That had something cold clutching at Tim's heart. It made him think about why Bruce hadn't let Tim come with him. There was the possibility that they would find Jason before the Joker could really do anything to him, that he'd be a little beaten up but that the Joker wouldn't do anything terrible until he was sure Bruce was around to see it, but there was also the possibility that Bruce would be too late. The possibility that Jason wouldn't be coming back at all. Bruce hadn't let Tim go with him because he didn't want Tim to see the body if that happened.

Thinking about Jason not being there and about the possibility of Jason not coming back quickly became too much.

He'd moved to the living room after only an hour or two. Alfred had frowned, but hadn't pushed Tim to go back.

Barbara had shown up while he was upstairs. She'd been the one to suggest watching a movie, something to focus on. Tim had agreed, not so much because he had any intention of watching the movie but because he thought it would help Alfred and Barbara more than him just sitting and staring at the wall.

Alfred's voice startled Tim out of his thoughts, "I made hot chocolate."

"Thank you Alfred," Barbara said. She drew her arm away from Tim's shoulders. Tim found himself missing the weight of it. She wasn't Jason, but it was comforting to know that Barbara was there. To know that even if Tim lost Jason, the rest of his family was still around. Leaning forward, she grabbed one of the mugs on the trays. She held it out for him, "Here you go, Tim."

"Thank you," Tim murmured. Selina's apartment was filled with novelty mugs, but they were less common in Bruce's house. So the second he saw the mug in Barbara's hand, he recognized it. It was a Batman novelty mug that they'd found at an arcade when they were out one day. It had the words 'Butt Man' written in thick black lettering with a shadow-like yellow outline. Above the words was the Bat Symbol, the lines of it emphasized to like look a woman wearing black underwear. It'd only cost a few thousand tickets, so Jason and Tim had spent a few hours at the arcade collecting tickets for it. Bruce hated the mug with a burning passion, but Jason loved it. "Oh. It's one of Jason's."

Alfred glanced over, startling a bit when he saw it. Alfred thought the mug was a bit trashy, but he also seemed to find it a little funny since he always smiled when Jason pulled it out of the back of the cabinet. It was a testament to how shaken Jason's disappearance and capture had all of them that Alfred had grabbed it. "Oh dear. I'm sorry, Master Timothy, I must have grabbed it without thinking. I'll take it back to the kitchen and grab another one."

"It's okay," Tim said. He pulled the mug closer to his chest, almost protectively. "I want to use it."

If things went bad reminders of Jason would hurt, but right now remembering that he had lived was helping Tim believe that he would stay come back alive.

* * *

Bruce had done a lot of work on Dick's phone in the name of making sure they had stable communication at all times, but he couldn't account for everything in space and Dick was without service fairly frequently when the Titan's left the planet. So when his phone lit suddenly with a barrage of messages, he wasn't that surprised. It was when he noticed that most of the messages had come recently, in a large cluster instead of scattered throughout the time his phone hadn't been working, that he started suspecting something. 

There were a few old texts from Jason, mostly rants about Bruce. He'd been expecting those. Jason had taken to airing his grievances with Bruce and Selina out on Dick. He did his best supporting him. Dick was in his twenties now, even if only barely, and his relationship with Bruce had soothed a lot over the past few years. He understood Bruce better now than he had before and, following that, he understood Bruce's actions with Jason. He also knew, however, that Jason needed someone to complain to and Dick was happy to be that person if it helped Jason.

Following Jason's messages were a few texts from Bruce. It used to be that Alfred called Dick regularly to check up on him for Bruce. With the slow mending of their relationship, though, Bruce had started tentatively checking up on Dick through text messages. Alfred still called once or twice a month to check up on Dick, but he didn't feel the need to check up anymore than that since Dick was regularly visiting the mansion.

Then there were the usual things from Barbara, the typical sort of messages between lovers. Little things about her day while he was gone, messages about missing him, things she wanted to do when he got back but didn't want to forget about.

At the end of it all was a cluster of messages and voicemail from today.

Almost no one called him when he was gone, knowing that his service would be spotty and there was high chance he wouldn't answer, but he had almost twenty missed calls and voice mails for around five of those.

Dick glanced over at Cyborg, who was sitting in the pilots seat while Dick sat next to him. They were on flying duty while the rest of the team slept. He might have hesitated if it were someone else with him, but he trusted Victor.

He turned his attention back to his phone, punching in the code for his voicemail then lifting it to his hand. He would've checked the new texts first, but the voicemails were so out of place that he imagined he'd get the information he needed from them.

"Dick," Bruce said. Dick's eyebrows furrowed. Bruce's voice was hovering in a weird place between Batman's growl and the warm rumble of Bruce's normal voice, like he couldn't figure out which voice to use. "Call me back."

The second message was Barbara, sounding as confused as Dick felt in the moment, "Hey. I'm just calling because I got an urgent text from Bruce without any explanation. I thought you might know what was going on, but I'm going to assume you aren't answering because you don't have service and probably don't know either. I'll let you know when I find out. Love you. Bye."

The third message was Alfred. "Master Dick, I would appreciate if you could call myself or your father as soon as you can. Something has happened. I would rather talk to you about it directly instead of sending you a text message."

Barbara's message had worry pooling in Dick's gut, but Alfred's had it increasing tenfold. Alfred was calm, unwavering in the face of difficulty, but the way he spoke in the message made it clear to Dick that his control was cracking.

As the next message queued up, Dick thought about what Alfred had and hadn't said. He told Dick to call himself or Bruce, so both of them were clearly okay. Barbara had called him herself, so she was clearly outside of whatever was going on.

His stomach dropped. There hadn't been any mention of either of the boys.

The fourth message, Barbara again. "Dick, oh my god. Jason ran away." Dick's breath caught in his throat. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Victor glancing over at him. There was obvious concern in his eyes, but Dick was focused entirely on Barbara's voice. "The Joker has him. Bruce is on his way, but we don't know what he's going to find when he gets there." She took a deep, shaky breath. "Just- Just call one of us when you get this okay?"

Fifth message, Barbara for a third time. This time, the first thing Dick heard was the sound of Barbara's sobs. There was an echo in the background, like Barbara was in one of the mansion's bathrooms. "Dick, you have to come home. Please. Tim is just...Tim isn't doing _anything_. He's just sitting there. Alfred is trying to take care of us, but I can see him breaking with every hour that Bruce doesn't call to update us. And I'm trying to stay strong so that I don't make things worse for them, but _god_. Jason is gone and the worst possible person has him and I don't know what I'm going to do if he gets hurt. I don't know what any of us are going to do if he doesn't come back to us."

The voicemail cut out.

Dick's heart broke in his chest.

For a while, when things between him and Bruce had been at their worst, Dick had considered the Titans his family. They _were_ his family, but Dick knew now that he wasn't one of the heroes who _only_ had their team. He had the type of family that some of his teammates would have killed for - a loving, if often misguided, father, a doting grandfather, and two irritating but hilarious little brothers. And right now that family was falling apart.

One of his brothers had runaway and ended up in the hands of a psychopath. His other brother was struggling without him by his side and, probably given their closeness, the part he had played in helping him. His grandfather and his girlfriend, the two people in his family who were usually steady rocks of calm in the chaos, were breaking under the weight of the worst case scenario. And his father....

He couldn't even begin to imagine what was going on with Bruce, but he was certain that Bruce was falling apart.

Bruce let them participate in his night activities, but only because he was certain it was what was best for them and only when he thought they were good enough to avoid getting seriously hurt. He let Dick do it because Dick had needed something that would let him fly like he had at the circus, something to make him feel like he was good when everything in his life seemed so bleak. He let Tim do it because Tim needed someone to care about him, needed something to make him feel like he mattered when it seemed like no one in his life gave him a second thought. He let Jason do it because Jason needed something to offset the terrible things he'd seen growing up, needed to see that he could do good in the world.

But Bruce also loved his sons, all three of them, with his whole heart. There had been a point where Dick had doubted that, but now he knew how untrue that was. He knew that Bruce would carve his own heart out of his chest if he thought it would make them happier.

"Vic, I need you to crank it up and us back to Earth as quickly as possible," Dick said.

"Okay?" Victor said. His confusion at Dick's request was clear in his voice, but his trust in him was evident when he immediately started doing as he was asked. "What's going on? I thought we were taking our time getting back?"

"Not anymore," Dick answered.

Bruce had always been there for Dick. Even during the darkest points in their relationship, Bruce had been there for him. It didn't matter what Dick said or did, the second Bruce caught wind of something serious going on Dick's life he was there to help in some way.

Dick wasn't going to leave Bruce, or the rest of the family, on his own when he was going through this.

He would be there for Bruce just like Bruce had always been there for him.

* * *

Selina's phone only got to ring for a few seconds before she snatched it up.

"Bruce," she answered without waiting for him to answer. Jason had changed her ringtone for Bruce to Beyonce's Crazy in Love after Valentines Day last year, before they had started fighting so much. She'd laughed about it, feeling touched even as she did. She knew why her relationship with Bruce was the way it was, knew why it was that he was so afraid to make things between them more solid, and was more than happy to exist like they did as long as it meant they existed _together_ , but that didn't mean it wasn't nice to have the reminder that he loved her. To be reminded that though he struggled with it, that love was so tangible that even their sons knew about it. Right now, though, she was just thankful that she could tell who was calling her so quickly. "Where are you?"

"I just landed the plane," Bruce said. He sounded exhausted, but there was a steel in his voice that made it clear he wasn't planning on sleeping anytime soon. In any other situation, Selina might have told him to go to bed instead of pushing himself. Right now, she would have screamed at him for sleeping instead of searching. "I'm heading off to see if I can find the woman Tim told me about."

"Right. Sheila Haywood," Selina said.

They'd talked shortly after Tim had explained things to Bruce, so that Selina could stay in the loop, and he'd told her everything that Tim had told him.

She wanted to ask Bruce how he felt about Jason running across the world to find his birth mother, because she didn't know how to deal with the way she felt about it.

She should have been happy that Jason had someone out there that he was connected to by blood. She and Bruce had been robbed of that connection far too early in their lives. She knew how important it was to have that. But there was a part of her that was upset and jealous that there was another woman with a claim like that over her son.

It made her afraid. She couldn't quite shake the feelings of inadequacy, like she wasn't enough. She _knew_  Jason loved her because he'd told her so and he was far too honest, and too sweet, to say something like that if he didn't. But she was finding it so hard to remember that.

She couldn't quite get rid of the little voice in her head that said that this was why she'd gone through everything she'd gone through when she was younger. She thought about the fact that maybe some higher power had seen how bad of a mother she could be and had made sure she wouldn't be able to have any. Jason had just been a mistake, something far too good that she was never meant to have.

Logically, she knew how stupid it was, that Jason was her son in all the ways that mattered and that things would smooth over, but it was so hard to remember that when something like this was happening. It was so hard to remember that when Jason had runaway to find another woman, when Jason had gotten into so much trouble that they were scrambling to make sure they got to him while he was still alive.

Selina knew that Bruce was a fantastic father, to all three of the boys, but she knew that Bruce didn't always know that. She knew that Bruce had struggled, that he was probably struggling with them right now just like she was, with the same things that she was struggling with. She wanted to ask him how he dealt with all of this. But that felt intensely personal and right now, when they were thousands apart and she was sitting in a crowded airport, didn't feel like the time to talk about something like that.

"Selina?" Bruce's voice was questioning, but there was a softness to it. Like he knew that Selina was struggling and didn't want to push her. He probably did. Jason was his son as much as he was Selina's and she knew how hard this had to be hitting him.

"Yes?" she said. "Sorry. I was-"

"It's okay," Bruce interrupted. "I understand."

Selina knew that he did, so she moved on. "What did you ask?"

"Were you able to find a way out here?"

"No," Selina said. Very suddenly, she remembered her frustration from before Bruce had called her. "There's nothing directly out of Russia going to Ethiopia, at least not commercially. I called some friends and none of them can get me there from here, but a woman I know in Italy is willing to take me. I'm going to fly to her and then she's going to fly me to you."

Bruce was quiet for a moment before he said, "That's going to a take a while."

"Yes," Selina said. Her grip on her phone tightened, just thinking about it. She was so grateful to her friend, Alessandra, for agreeing, but she couldn't help being angry that it was going to take her so long to get there. There was no doubt that she wouldn't be able to help Jason. She forced herself to relax. She took a deep breath and then she said, "You have to find our son and you _make sure_  that he comes back to us."

"I will."

No pause, no hesitation.

Bruce would do his best to find their son, to get him back, and make sure he was there when Selina got to them. He would have done his best anyway, but the fact that he had said it at all that mattered.

It was a promise.

* * *

Alfred sat in one of the armchairs in the living room, his hands wrapped around a mug of tea. His eyes were focused on the boy lying on the couch across the room.

It was early morning in Gotham again, a few hours shy of the twenty four hour mark since Bruce had followed after Jason. Tim was more than capable of staying up for that period of time, but today had been emotionally draining. He'd put up a valiant fight for a while, insistent on not sleeping incase Bruce called and he missed something. Alfred had helped him along, sprinkling a light sedative into his drink sometime after two. He had never been shy about using every method at his disposal to take care of his family. So now, Tim was stretched out on the couch with an old Wayne family quilt thrown over him as he slept.

After Tim had drifted off, Alfred had set his attention to Barbara. She'd wanted to stay around for the same reason that Tim had wanted to stay awake, but Alfred had assured her that Bruce probably wasn't going to take the time to call until he had Jason and that could be hours away. Her lying around worrying wasn't going to do any of them any good, except for maybe contributing to a feedback loop of anxiety and depression. It had taken a while, but while Barbara might have been just as stubborn as any of the boys in the family she also had a more level head and she'd agreed as long as Alfred promised to call her as soon as there was any news. He had offered to prepare one of the guest rooms or to change the sheets on Dick's bed for her, but she had waved him off in favor of going back to her father's house.

Alfred understood her desire to go home and assure herself that her father was safe when someone else that she cared about was in danger the way that Jason was. At the same time, he was struggling with having her out of his sight.

Alfred had always been a protector, but as his family grew so did those feelings.

He had grown up with Thomas when his father worked for the Wayne's. They'd stayed in contact after Alfred had left for the military. When the blood on his hands became too much, it was Thomas who helped him gain a foothold into the world of acting and the stage. When his father passed, he'd been happy to drop that life to take care of Thomas and his new wife, to help them as Thomas had been helping Alfred since they were children.

Then Bruce had come into the picture. Alfred had already considered Bruce family, he'd taken night duties occasionally so that Bruce's parents could sleep and he'd helped potty train him when he was a toddler and he'd run around the mansion playing with him when Martha and Thomas were at work, but when his parents passed the two of them were all each other had. Alfred didn't want to lose this wonderful boy.

Then came the older children. He remembered Dick fresh from the circus, walking around the mansion like a ghost and reminding Alfred far too much of a younger Bruce. He made it his mission to make that sad boy happy, to show him old comedy movies that would make him laugh and cheer for him whenever he practiced his acrobatics. He remembered Barbara the first time she'd shown up as Batgirl, extraordinarily intelligent but terribly lonely at times because the hours of a cop were long and unpredictable. He made it his mission to make her less lonely, to invite her for tea when he knew the commissioner was caught up in a case so that she would have someone to tell about her days and to give her the hugs he knew she was lacking when he saw her.

Years passed. Dick grieved for his parents but learned to live and be happy without them. Barbara balanced her relationship with her father and her relationship with the family, thrived under the attention of people who loved her. Alfred stayed protective of them, even as they grew up and insisted that they didn't need watched over.

Then the younger children. First Tim, lonely like Barbara but without a parent who tried their hardest to be there for them. Alfred made sure Tim knew that he was important, that he was loved and cared about. Then Jason, so intelligent and caring but grown in a world where neither of those things mattered. Alfred made sure to nurture him, to make sure he knew that he was _good_  and that he could do anything that he set his mind too.

Alfred loved each of them. He had dedicated himself to all of them, to making them happy and helping them through their struggles.  
  
He would not let anyone take their smiles away from them. They deserved their happiness after everything they had been through.

There had been ups and downs. He hadn't always been able to protect that happiness the way he wanted to. Dick and Bruce had torn into each other for years. Alfred had done his best to mediate between the two, but ultimately they were the only ones that could fix that particular hurt.

But never had he failed to protect his family the way he had failed this time.

* * *

"Barbara?"

Barbara had her head tipped down as she toed off her shoes, but at the call of her name she looked up.

Her father was standing at the end of the hallway. It was early still, around five in the morning, but her father was a cop and she was unsurprised to find him already dressed for work.

"Hi, dad," Barbara greeted. Her mind was foggy with exhaustion, being used to pulling all-nighters didn't mean that it took any less out of her, and her heart was still heavy with worry for Jason, but there was a rush of relief at seeing her father safe and sound.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said. Her father made his way down the hallway, wrapping his arms around her. She didn't hesitate to press herself against him and hug him back, tucking her face against his chest like she had as a child. Back then, it had felt like her father's hugs would be enough to protect her from everything terrible in the outside world. She was an adult now. She knew that wasn't true, but his hugs weren't any less comforting than they had been then. She didn't usually burrow into him like this nowadays, though. He must have picked up on her distress because he rubbed his hand up and down her back like he had when he held her as a child. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I can't tell you," Barbara said. He made a noise of confusion. He'd known about Batgirl and Bruce's identity as Batman for a few years now, so there were less secrets between them. Especially now that she was older and he was dealing better with the idea of her being in the line of fire. She explained, "I just...I don't want to bring you into this unless the worst happens."

"Because you think you need to protect me?"

It was a common thing in their relationship now. They were both chasing criminal and they both knew it. Most of their secrets were things that they thought the other might get hurt by if they knew about it, despite the fact that both of them were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.

"Because we can take care of it ourselves," Barbara told him, "and if we get you involved than that means that the very worst scenario has played out."

Her father's arms tightened around her. "The worst case scenario? Barbara-"

"Not me," Barbara said.

She didn't tell him that she would gladly take Jason's place if it meant that Jason would be safe.

She wasn't around Tim and Jason as often as she would have liked, between university and her job and her cases she just didn't have time, but she'd spent enough time with them to love them both intensely.

They were her little brothers.

Maybe Barbara didn't say it enough, but she loved them.

 _All_  of them.

When she was younger she'd been so upset about not having a mom. When she was a teenager, she'd gotten Bruce instead and she was perfectly fine with not having a mom as long as she got to keep both of her dads. Her love for her dad was fierce, but her love for Bruce was just as intense even if she could never find the words to tell him. Her dad's family had all passed away, so she'd never known what it was like to have a grandfather before Alfred. She could never shake the feeling that she'd gotten the best one possible.

Barbara loved Dick differently than she loved the rest of them, but she always had. He was her family in a different way than Bruce, Alfred, and the boys, but he was part of her family all the same. Even if something happened and they broke up, she knew that he would still be there for her.

Barbara didn't know how to explain all of that to her father, though. For all that he had become apart of the bats circle since finding out about their identities, he wasn't part of that family and she didn't think she could explain what that family meant. She didn't think she could explain to him why she would so readily trade places with Jason.

Instead, Barbara gave him a tight squeeze before pulling away. "I know you're heading to work soon, but would it be okay if I stayed here and slept for a few hours?"

"Of course."

"Thank you, dad."

"Anytime. It's still your home, even if you don't live here anymore." He drew her back towards him, pressing a kiss against her temple. "And whatever's going on, I'm sure it'll work out. Bruce has a knack for doing the impossible."

"I hope so," Barbara said. "Because I don't know what any of us are going to do if this goes badly."

* * *

A loud, sharp crack filled the air. The ground shook. A moment later the distant sky lit up with a large bloom of fire-y orange, reds, and yellows. 

Bruce felt all of the air rush out of his lungs, panic seizing him. He pushed his foot against the pedal, pushing the jeep he'd paid the locals to use to go as fast as it could.

His first stop in Ethiopia had been the aid camp where Sheila Haywood was supposed to be working. Bruce had hoped to speak to her and see if Jason had seen her at all before the Joker had grabbed him. He was hoping, perhaps a bit feebly, that Jason would have said something to her that would clue him into where he had gone. It was a flimsy lead, but it was the only one he had when he first touched down.

When he got to the camp, Bruce had found that Jason had been there, but that he and Sheila had left together. No one had seen either of them since. He'd asked if that was normal and found that Sheila was supposed to be around, but had never shown up.

He'd taken the time to ask around the camp about Sheila. It turned out to be a good decision, because after only a few moments speaking to the other doctors he could tell that something was going on with Sheila. A few of them had tossed out ideas, but no one knew anything concretely. They just had vague ideas about money missing from the organization's accounts and medical supplies that had disappeared from camp.

He only had to dig around a little bit to figure out what Sheila was doing - embezzling, mostly, but also occasionally trading with some of the Warlords to add to her pockets. Things that were easy to hide in a country torn apart the way Ethiopia currently was and in an organization that was too busy trying to help people to look too hard at some missing supplies. It was harder to hide from someone like Bruce.

From there Bruce had been able to piece things together until he figured out that Sheila must have gotten involved with the Joker. There had probably been a deal that had gone bad. Jason had probably stormed in to help his mother and than the Joker had taken them both.

He focused on what Sheila had been doing and the area around the camp until he'd found this warehouse.

This warehouse that he was _certain_  the Joker had taken Jason to.

This warehouse which had just exploded into a million pieces in front of him.

He couldn't be this close and fall short. He couldn't be _this_  close, seeing the warehouse that he knew his son had to be in, to saving his son and fail.

As he drew closer to the building, though, something caught his eye. Everything in front of him was chaos, fire and smoke and still falling rubble, but there was something dark coming out of the building. A silhouette.

His heart pounded in his chest. It was so hard to stop himself from getting hopeful.

As he approached, he started realizing why it was that the silhouette looked so weird. It wasn't just one person, but rather someone carrying someone else.

Then, he was close enough to make out the figures and-

"Jason!" Bruce shouted.

That was Harley Quinn walking away from the explosion, holding Jason in her arms. He was limp, his head rolling backwards and his legs swinging, but he was there in her arms. He hadn't been caught in the explosion.

He forced himself to stay in the car just a little longer, to get close enough that he could get both of them into it without them having to move too far, but then he was jumping out and running towards them.

"Jason, Jason, Jason," Bruce said, unable to keep his son's name from spilling from his lips.

As he approached them, his eyes were drawn to Jason. It was obvious his son had been tortured. His face was covered in bruises and blood, his fingers snapped at awkward angles, and one of his knee was bulging like it had been popped right out of place. But his chest was moving. It was barely noticeable, the movement shallow, but it was there.

Jason was _breathing_. 

"Hey there, B-Man," Harley said as he skidded to a stop in front of her. Her voice was rougher than he was used to, lacking the amusement and teasing tone.

"Harley," Bruce said.

"I'm sorry," Harley said. He slipped close to her, moving to get his arms under his son to take him from her. "Kitty told me to help him, but I couldn't-"

"This isn't your fault," Bruce told her. Jason's injuries were terrible and he hated seeing them, but he understood what Harley was saying even without it coming out. It was likely that if she'd intervened during the torture, they would have both ended up crippled and caught in the explosion. He managed to tear his eyes away from his son long enough to meet her own. "You saved him, Harley. You kept him alive."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Hello everyone. I promised you a long chapter and this is double what chapters for this story usually are. How are you feeling after all that.....?
> 
> 2) I tried to stay consistent with timezones, but honestly I think I fumbled a bit with the timeline of this chapter and where everyone would be at one time. Sorry about that! 
> 
> 3) The first part of this was supposed to be more dialogue?? But it ended up very ramble-y. I like it though. Especially the little batcat in there :) I meant for the second bit to be kind of...not linear because I don't think Bruce's thoughts would be very linear. Just very circular? Coming back to the same things. but I'm worried it just ended up being a clusterfuck. 
> 
> 4) I feel like there's a lot of thinking and not a lot of action in this chapter? Sorry if that ended up being too boring...
> 
> 5) Here's the [Mug](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/SlYAAOSwGXtXgvnC/s-l300.jpg) mentioned in the third section. 
> 
> 6) Dick's section ended up being fairly long, which I didn't anticipate. I thought I'd struggle with it more. 
> 
> 7) Which Alfred backstory did I go with? Well ALL of them of course! I did write out Alfred's daughter, however. It's just been a little too long since she appeared in comics for me to be concerned with her. 
> 
> 8) The chapter title is from Hamilton's "Stay Alive," but the reprise was a bigger inspiration since it's Hamilton and Eliza and their son dying.


	13. The Sun Will Always Rise

When Jason finally woke up for real, he'd been drifting in and out without opening his eyes, there was a weight over his legs. Someone small lying across him, their folded arms resting on top of his knees. He could feel someone holding each of his hands. Whoever had a hold of his left hand had slim, soft fingers while the person holding his right had thick, rough and calloused palms.

He thought he knew who it was.

He let his eyes flutter open. His eyelids didn't feel like lead anymore so it was a lot easier to do now than it had the other times he'd woken up.

The body lying over him was Tim. Jason couldn't see him very well because Tim had his face pressed against his folded arms and faced away from Jason, but what he could see made him frown a bit. Tim's hair looked greasy, like he hadn't showered in a day or two, and he looked even slimmer than usual.

Jason could've easily kept staring at Tim, but he forced himself to look away and check his other suspicions. Sure enough, Selina and Bruce sat on either side of him each holding one of his hands.

Bruce was sat next to Tim. There was a tablet propped up against Jason's leg that Bruce was using a finger on his free hand to scroll through. There were heavy bags under his eyes, like he hadn't slept properly in ages. Though Jason was sure that whatever he was looking at on the tablet was work for Wayne Enterprises, Bruce wasn't wearing one of the neat button ups he wore when working. Instead he wore a soft, grey tee-shirt. It was one of the comfy ones he wore for training. It made it look like Bruce hadn't been worried about appearances, but rather about settling in for the long haul by Jason's bedside.

Selina was sitting on his other side, directly across from Bruce, with her knees drawn up to her chest and an arm wrapped around her legs. Her other hand was the one stretched out, holding Jason's. Her hair stuck up in all kinds of angles, like she hadn't quite found the time to style it the way she usually did, and her skin seemed even paler than usual, like she getting even less sun than usual. Like Bruce, she wasn't dressed up the way she usually was when she was out and about. Instead she wore a pair of comfortable black sweatpants and a white tee-shirt that hung loosely off her shoulders. Jason thought it might have been one of Bruce's.

She was staring, a bit absently, out the window behind Bruce's head.

Either way...

"You two look like shit," Jason declared.

The words were rough and when he spoke it felt like there was gravel in his throat, but it was worth it for the way they both startled. For a moment he felt great about being able to get the jump on them, because he had never in his life been able to surprise either of them.

Then he saw the looks they were giving him.

Their faces were filled with relief. They both looked as though they'd faced down the most horrible thing they could imagine and were so relieved to finally be on the other side of that tunnel. Selina even looked as though she was going to cry. And there was love there. All of the love that he had always known they held for him, but had been too angry at them to properly appreciate recently.

Jason's throat hurt, but seeing them like this had him croaking out, "I'm sorry." He felt tears welling in his eyes. He hadn't cried the entire time that the Joker had him, he'd screamed but he had never let a tear fall from his eyes, but now that Bruce and Selina were in front of him he couldn't keep it in. "I'm so sorry!"

"Oh sweetheart," Selina said, her voice coming out in a soft, wispy rush. She moved quickly, dropping his hand in favor of moving to wrap her arms around him. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I-I do!" Jason cried. He choked on the words, in part because of the pain and in part because it was hard to speak now that the sobs were coming. He ducked his head against Selina's arm. "I w-was so stupid! I should've li-listened to you guys! You were only trying to keep me safe!"

"Jaybird," Bruce said. The softness of Selina's voice was one that Jason had heard before, the first time she'd comforted him after a nightmare and the first time he'd gotten hurt on a job and so many other times after that, but the tone Bruce was using now was one that was entirely new. It was quiet, careful and full of emotion. Jason couldn't see Bruce with his face tucked against Selina, but he felt Bruce start smoothing his hair out of his forehead. His touch was soft and gentle in a way that Jason almost never associated with Bruce. "None of this is your fault."

"It is!" Jason cried. "I sh-should've listen-ned to you guys! A-And I shou-shouldn't have come here with-without you! I shou-shouldn't have com-come here at-at all!" The sobbing was getting worse. It made it harder to breath, harder to talk. It hurt more too. But he needed to get this out, needed them to know this. "I did-didn't need her! You gu-guys are my parents and-and you're the best at it. Y-You're a g-great mom and-and a gr-great dad! I did-didn't need to be here! I love you. I love you so much and I'm s-so sorry!"

There was a moment where nothing happened, where the room was just filled with his hiccuping sobs, then Selina seemed to burrow herself even further against Jason. Her cheek was pressed against his and he felt it as the tears began to slide down her face.

"We love you too, Jason," Selina said, her voice thick and heavy with emotion. "So, so much."

* * *

 

They got a few more emotional moments, then Selina moved in a way that jostled something and had Jason crying out in pain. After that, they insisted on calling a doctor and everything was a flurry of activity.

Jason, it turned out, had been in a medical coma for a little over a month.

The terrorist attack - which Jason learned was part of the cover about what had happened - had caused some extensive damage in his brain. They'd put him under in an attempt to minimize and manage the injuries there. They'd come to like what they saw enough that they'd taken him off the medication a few days ago and where just waiting to see when, and if, he would wake up.

Jason also learned about the multitude of other injuries he was sporting. There were internal injuries, including some smoke damage to his lungs. He had broken bones all over, everything from almost all of his ribs to both of his ankles and wrists.

He also found out that they weren't in Ethiopia anymore, but in Swaziland. They hadn't wanted to move him too far given his injuries and Swaziland had one of the best hospitals on the continent.

Given the extent of the damage done to his body, after an initial check in the room there were a multitude of tests the doctors wanted to do on Jason to see how things were progressing.

Bruce had moved the sleeping Tim, who had apparently been refusing to sleep and finally crashed after three straight days awake, to a couch in the room when the Doctor had first entered the room so they didn't have to worry about moving him off the bed when they went to move Jason. They decided that Selina would go as far as she could with Jason while Bruce stayed in the room with Tim. They didn't see him waking up anytime soon, but they didn't want him to panic if he woke up and everyone was gone.

Jason spent the next couple of hours being shipped from room to room, put through a collection of machines and prodded with too many needles to count. Each time they wheeled him out of one room, Selina was waiting on the other side. She'd grab his hand as soon as she can and they'd speak the entire time Jason was being moved to the next test. She told him what he'd missed in all of his favorites shows and told him about what she'd seen of the country, not very much, when she wasn't in his hotel room.

The nurses that were in charge of moving his bed sometimes joined her, adding their own little stories about places in the country that she hadn't gone to because she was so focused on being with him. A few of the specialized Doctors looked put off when they saw her, but Bruce's money in combination with Selina's deadly glare had them quieting.

Tim was still asleep when they wheeled Jason back into his room and Alfred had joined Bruce.

Alfred had been speaking to Bruce about something, their voices low as Bruce sat next to Tim with one hand running through his hair, but both of them turned their attention to Jason once he was in the room.

Once Jason's bed was secured, Alfred made his way to it. He took a second to scold Jason for running off on them, but then he was bending down to wrap his arms around Jason and hug him tightly. Affection like this was rare with Alfred, he showed his love in cookies and snacks and warm words, but Jason clung to it now. He loved his parents and he felt terrible about everything he'd done to them. But he also loved Alfred and felt terrible about how he'd put Alfred in the middle of it.

Afterwards, once Jason had settled back down, Alfred showed him all of the things that he'd brought over with him. There was a bag full of Jason's favorite books as well as a few that he'd been wanting to read but never gotten around to. Turning pages would be a little hard since Jason's arms were still in casts, much like almost the entire rest of his body, but Alfred assured him that someone would be happy to either turn the pages for him or read the books aloud to him. Jason was going to be in the hospital for a while yet, so Alfred had also brought a couple of things to make the room a bit more home-y. There was one of Jason's Wonder Woman posters to break up the whiteness of the walls, Jason's laptop and a couple of his favorite dvds, and a pile of clothes that he could wear when he was up to dressing.

They were all silly things, but Jason was glad for each item.

Being in the hospital sucked in general and it sucked even more when combined with all of the guilt churning in Jason's gut, but all of the little items Alfred brought him made being there a little easier.

Alfred always seemed to know exactly what to do to make him feel a little better. 

* * *

"These are definitely _not_  eggs. I don't know who told B these were eggs, but they were clearly lying to him. Alfred would cry if he saw this."

Tim scrunched his nose, closing his eyes harder and burrowing against his arms.

He usually woke up before Jason, but sometimes he'd stay up too long and end up sleeping too late. Whenever that happened, he'd end up getting woken up before he wanted to be up. Sometimes it was because Jason was aggressively arguing with whatever book he was reading - Tim had to keep from groaning anytime Jason decided to reread Emma because there were _always_  tangents when Jason read Emma - and sometimes it was because Alfred had made waffles for breakfast and Jason needed Tim to be awake _right now_  so they could eat them. Either way, Tim hated when Jason did it.

"Jay," Tim whined, words muffled against his arm and heavy with sleep. "Stop it. I'm sleeping."

Jason was quiet for just a second before he said, "Sorry, babybird."

Tim hummed a bit, content with the apology even if he knew it wouldn't last very long.

He had only just burrowed down into his arms when something occurred to him.

He bolted upright. He didn't mean to be so loud, but when he opened his mouth he practically screeched, "Jason! You're awake!"

Jason was sitting up in the hospital bed, a side tray swung so that it was in front of him and a plate of something vaguely yellowish in front of him. He was still covered in bandages and casts, but he was awake and _alive_.

"You have no room to talk," Jason said, voice teasing and a smile playing on his lips. "I might've been asleep for a month, but you slept for almost an entire day without any sedatives."

Tim was quiet for a moment, just staring at Jason.

Emotion rushed through him. He felt all of the concern and helplessness he'd felt during the months when Jason was fighting with Bruce and Selina, he felt all of the guilt and fear that had been churning in his gut since he found out the Joker had Jason, and he felt all of the love and affection that he'd held for Jason for the entirety of their relationship.

It him all at once and it was just _too much._

He burst into tears.

"Tim!" Jason exclaimed. His voice was a little on the loud side. He was clearly panicking. Tim had buried his head in his hands when the tears started, but he could feel Jason shifting to sit up and the warmth of Jason's hands as they hovered above him. "Are you okay? What's wrong? Do you need me to call one of the nurses or-"

"No, I don't need you to call anyone," Tim said. The whirlwind happening in his heart made it hard to control his mouth and he blurted out, "I need you to promise not to do this again." With the words out of his mouth already Tim found it easy to continue, to let everything in his head spill out. He looked up from his hands. Jason's eyes were wide with panic. "You can't do this to me again, Jason. For months you were right next to me, but you felt a million miles away. Then you were actually a million miles away and you almost _died._  It was all just...It's too much. You can't do this to me again, Jason." When he spoke again, he was pleading, " _Please_."

Jason didn't hesitate, promising, "I won't. Babybird, I swear, I'm not going to do anything like this ever again."

His promise wouldn't erase everything Tim had felt and it didn't make everything better, but Tim found it easier to breath.

Jason had never lied to him before. Jason had never broken a promise to him before.

Tim trusted that Jason wasn't going to start now.

* * *

 

Barbara and Dick showed up the next morning.

They'd both been around for a few days when Jason had been in Ethiopia, but their jobs weren't as secure as Bruce's and they'd had to go back home before they'd moved Jason to Swaziland. They'd kept in touch with the family while they were at home. Now that Jason was awake, though, they'd both managed to get a few more days off to come and see him themselves.

The entire family was in the room when they got there. Alfred and Bruce had both offered to go pick them up from the airport but they'd insisted it was more important for the two of them to be with Jason. They were all gathered around the bed playing a game of cards.

Tim was actually a little relieved when Dick threw himself onto the bed so he could latch onto Jason, scattering all of the cards as he did so. Every single person playing was cheating, but Tim was by far the worst of them at it. He could count cards better than Jason could, but they weren't playing blackjack. His sleight of hand was good compared to most civilians, but it was nothing compared to the other players and their eyes were sharp enough to call him on it frequently. He'd been losing pathetically. He could've asked to play something else, but he was fairly certain Selina and Jason knew how to cheat at every card game in the world. Dick throwing the game into chaos spared him the teasing that would come from Jason if he actually lost.

While Dick was showing Jason his octopus impression, Barbara said hello to everyone before focusing in on Tim. She crouched down next to the chair he was sitting in, resting her hands on the arm of it, and asked him quietly about how he was feeling.

Tim was glad for it. He wasn't going to say anything too personal with everyone in the room, but Barbara was someone that Tim found easy to speak to. She was his sister and talking to her would always be easier than speaking to his parents. She would listen and give good advice just like Bruce or Selina, but telling her didn't feel so big or intimidating.

They only spoke for three or four minutes and the information was minimal, but it was enough for Tim to remember that Barbara was there if he wanted to talk about something bigger. If he had something to say that he didn't want to talk to Bruce or Selina about, Barbara would be there to listen to him.

Once Dick finished with Jason, he and Barbara switched places. Barbara climbed onto the bed with Jason, hugging him and telling him stories about the customers from the library when he asked, while Dick plopped himself down in Tim's lap and wrapped him up in a tight hug.

Barbara was a good sister because she listened, but Dick was a good brother because he touched. Tim wasn't starved for physical contact. He was usually touching Jason in _some_  way, Selina was liberal with her hugs, and Bruce always patted or squeezed shoulders to show his pride. But there was something about the way Dick gave hugs, wrapping someone up so completely and squeezing them tightly against his chest, that was just a little bit different. It always made Tim feel warm, loved, safe and protected. Dick's hugs were like reminders of every emotion Dick felt for him and every promise to help him with something.

Everything that had happened with Jason was terrible, but things were easier to deal with now.

Jason was awake, out of the most dangerous parts of his recovery, and the entire family was there not just to support Jason but also to support each other.

Jason and Tim would always have each other, but they also had two parents who loved them fiercely, a brother who gave the best hugs in Gotham, a sister who had the patience of a saint, and a grandfather who made the best food on the entire east coast. 

* * *

Selina said, "We can't have the boys bouncing between houses."

The two of them were sitting in a small conference room. The lead Doctor on Jason's case, a man that was only three years younger than Alfred that was in charge of making sure all of Jason's doctors worked together and didn't overwhelm him, had requested that they join him in the room. They'd left Alfred with Tim and Jason, Barbara and Dick had stayed for four days but they'd had to return home already, and done as he asked.

They'd spoken about Jason's recovery thus far (great, his age meant that his body still healed well), about how much longer he would need to be in the hospital (another week, two at most), and what they would need to do once he was back home (check ups, physical therapy, _normal_ therapy, a whole slew of other things).

Bruce had been so wrapped up in his head, feeling so relieved that they were getting to take Jason home at all and already planning things for Jason's at home recovery, that he hadn't really considered their living situation until Selina said something.

"No," Bruce agreed.

"They should stay with you," Selina said. He noticed how she wasn't looking at him as she spoke. He knew she wasn't crying, but he suspected that if she looked at him he would see a heavy sadness in her eyes. Bruce could only imagine how much it hurt to go through all of this and then be confronted with the idea that the best place for your son was somewhere that you weren't. Selina had been struggling with feelings of inadequacy since Harley called her. He didn't think this was helping her at all. "The manor is bigger then the apartment and it's more accessible so it'll be better for Jason. Alfred will be there to help him if something comes up and-"

"I'll take the boys," Bruce said. Before she could start thinking about why he'd cut her, before he could talk himself out of what he'd decided, he continued, "But you should come with them."

There was a beat, then Selina turned towards him. Whatever pain she'd been feeling before had been wiped away, replaced by surprise. "What?"

Bruce could feel his heart pounding in his chest and it felt like there was a thick ball in his throat. But... he was sick of running away from Selina.

They'd spent the last month together, worrying about whether or not their son was going to live. That kind of stress could have broken even the strongest couple, especially in a case like theirs when there was so much blame that could have been tossed around. But Bruce felt closer to Selina than ever. Their relationship felt stronger than ever.

And Bruce was done running away from people that he loved.

"Move into the manor," Bruce told her. "For Jason's recovery, but also because I want you there." Her eyes widened. Her mouth fell open in an o. Bruce wasn't sure if that was good or not. He forced himself to keep going, "Because we have two sons that we both adore, because Dick might not be ours the way they are but you have always taken care of him, because I am so incredibly happy to have a family with you even if it all happened kind of accidentally." He took a deep breath. "Move in because I love you."

There was a moment where Selina just stared at him.

Bruce held his breath the entire time.

Then Selina's smiled. "Well, how could I possibly say no to an offer like that?"

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that you had a good holiday season, no matter which holiday you were celebrating or if you were celebrating none at all.
> 
> 2) I went through and edited the previous chapters finally. They probably aren't perfect since it was only my first run through, but they're definitely a little better if anyone rereads for some reason!
> 
> 3) I'm not sure if I need to say this, but for any of you that were wondering this isn't anywhere near the end of this story. I've got three arcs planned for it right now and this is only the wind down to the first arc. I'm not sure if the other two will be as long as the build up to this one was, but there's still a ways to go regardless.


	14. That Familiar Conviction That Life Is Beginning Over Again

The automatic doors only just closed behind the wheelchair when Jason thumped his hands against the armrests.

"Alright we're outside now," Jason said. "Someone give me my crutches and get me out of this thing."

It was a nice, sunny summer day in Swaziland. Having spent the last two and a half months in the hospital, Jason was finally being released from the hospital. He wasn't completely recovered yet. Most of his breaks and injuries had healed, but the damage had been extensive so he'd need physical therapy. That was before they considered the fact that he'd spent a lot of time laid up with his injuries which had resulted in some muscle loss.

But, in all, he was recovered enough for the Doctors to release him and for the family to return to Gotham.

Jason was ecstatic about that. His family had done their best to make his hospital stay comfortable, but a hospital was still a hospital and Jason was absolutely ready to get back home.

"No," Bruce dismissed. "You can stay in the wheelchair until Alfred brings the car around."

"Why not? I'm approved to use the crutches."

"In moderation," Selina said. "Spending five minutes just standing around and waiting for Alfred would just be a waste of the time you're allowed to use them."

Jason groaned. "Can't we just ignore that part of the recovery instructions?"

"We aren't ignoring any part of your recovery instructions," Bruce said. "Much less a part of your recovery that could effect something as important as your ability to walk."

Convinced that he wasn't going to get anywhere with the two of them, Jason turned to Tim. Bruce and Selina were both behind him, Bruce pushing the wheelchair while Selina walked with him, while Tim had been walking next to Jason with his crutches in his hand. Jason had wondered a little bit why they didn't just put them in his lap, but now he realized it was because it meant that he couldn't get the crutches unless Tim handed them to him.

"Tim," Jason said. Tim looked down at him, an amused light already in his eyes and his lips already turned up in a small smile. It made it fairly obvious that Jason wasn't going to have better luck with Tim than he had with Bruce and Selina, but Jason figured he had to at least try. "Give me my crutches."

Tim shook his head. "No."

"Tim," Jason whined. "Come on. I've been sitting down for two and a half months."

"Don't be dramatic," Tim said. There was a quiet laugh from behind him. Jason thought it was probably from Selina. He thought laughter was a little bit of an overreaction. He wouldn't deny being a _little bit_  dramatic, but he definitely wasn't so dramatic that Selina needed to laugh because Tim told him not to be. "The doctors have had you out and about plenty."

"Okay, well," Jason said, deciding to switch his plea in a different direction, "the fact that the doctors had me walking around just goes to show that I'm perfectly capable of walking by myself. So. Give me the crutches."

"The doctors only ever let you walk away for five or ten minutes," Tim argued.

"Yeah, but that was when I was in the hospital. I'm out of the hospital now, so-"

"Jason," Tim interrupted. "If you ask me for the crutches again, I'm going to hit you with them."

"You would _never_ ," Jason said.

Tim's grin widened. "Try me."

Despite the mock offensive in his voice, the banter eased something in Jason's chest. Things between him and Tim had improved while he was in the hospital, but they hadn't been as easy as they had been before. Despite Jason's recovery, Tim had still been carrying so much guilt for not letting telling Bruce that Jason had gone to Ethiopia and so much fear that everything would go wrong and end up with Tim losing Jason.

Tim joking with Jason this, though, was a good sign that Jason's release from the hospital was allowing Tim to start letting go of those negative thoughts.

Jason was happy about that. He knew that his actions were changing all of them, knew that things would never be exactly the same as they had been before he'd run off to Ethiopia, but he wanted things to get back to a good place again. Even if it was a different good place than it'd been before.

"You win for now," Jason told Tim. "But only because I just got out of the hospital. If I was at my best, I wouldn't give in."

"Not even in the face of a crutch wielded like a baseball bat?" Tim asked.

Jason thought about the whistle of a crow bar, the sound of his ribs cracking, the white hot pain afterwards, and the way he'd bit through his lip trying to keep his cries in.

"Yeah," Jason said, forcing himself to keep his voice light. "Even in the face of you with a crutch in your hand."

* * *

Only a day or two after they arrived back in Gotham, the family set about getting Selina and the boys permanently moved out of the apartment and into the manor.

Bruce had suggested hiring movers for the process, but Selina had laughed in his face and slapped him on the ass while telling him to get those muscles working. She was willing to let Bruce see her collection, Jason thought there might have been a conversation when he wasn't around about him looking the other way when it came to some of the pieces she'd acquired by less than honorable means, but there was no way she was trusting a moving company with any of it. Most of her collection was priceless and irreplaceable.

So the first weekend after their arrival back in America was spent packing and moving boxes. The entire family got involved in the process. Since he was still on crutches and under instructions not to strain himself, Jason would sit on the floor in one of the rooms and help Selina and Alfred pack up whatever room they were working on. Dick had the weekend off, so he helped Tim and Bruce move the boxes once they'd been packed up.

Moving was exhausting and time consuming, but it wasn't completely terrible. Every time Bruce saw a piece of Selina's collection that he didn't realize she had, he made a face or let out a sigh that would have Jason giggling for a minute or so. The entire day was filled with Dick making jokes about Jason being too lazy to help move things and Jason commenting that Tim seemed to have carried more boxes out than Dick was. Once she got off work, Barbara came over with several boxes of pizza and Jason found himself watching Alfred eat pizza for the first time. It was a far more surreal experience than it should have been.

The following weeks were a period of adjustment.

Tim and Jason were used to living with Selina, but Bruce had never lived with her before. And the boys were used to living with Selina and Bruce separately, so living with both of them together was a big change. Having Bruce and Selina in one house also came with new rules as the two of them figured out how to make their parenting styles work together.

On top of that were the new changes in Jason's schedule that affected everyone else's schedule. He had physical therapy twice a month along with weekly appointments with a psychiatrist. Jason had missed the last two months of the school year, but given the circumstances of his absence Gotham Public was allowing Jason to take his exams at the end of the summer so that he could move on to his junior year. Until then, though, Jason also had tutoring sessions twice a week.

It was a lot of change all at once, but when time had passed and the dust had settled Jason was happy with the changes.

Selina took Jason to his appointments most days, though occasionally Alfred would step in when Selina had an appointment that couldn't be moved. Since Tim was on summer break, he would come along with them. Before Jason's appointments the boys would sit in the waiting rooms with their heads bent together as they played a game together on Tim's DS. His appointments were usually a little bit before noon, so afterwards Selina would take the boys out for lunch so they could spend sometime alone with her. Bruce still took the boys out every Friday afternoon so they could have some time alone with him, but now when the three of them arrived home afterwards they would have a family night with Selina. They would have something simple for diner, like personalized pizzas or tacos, and they would eat in the living room while watching a movie or playing a game.

Things were different than before, but they were a good different and Jason was happy with that. 

* * *

Tim had been in Robins Park plenty of times since the first time that Jason had taken him to visit Harley and Ivy with him.

No matter what season or time of day it was, Robins Park was always a place that was filled with an incredible amount of warmth. Ivy had built the home that she and Harley had within in the park, but Harley had such a large presence that she filled the entire place with her warmth.

Usually when Tim and Jason imagined from the entry maze, they would find Harley and Ivy sitting at their favorite picnic table. Harley would be chattering excitedly, waving her hands around as she said something to Ivy, and her partner would be watching her with an incredibly fond expression. Usually Harley would catch sight of them first. Immediately her attention shifted to them as she fixed them with an thousand watt smile. She'd leave the table, sometimes coming around it and sometimes choosing to simply flip her way over the table despite Ivy chiding her, and wrap them both in tight hugs. She'd press kisses to their cheeks and then lead them back towards Ivy, already asking a million questions about what they'd been up to since they'd last visited. Usually after Ivy had dished out hugs of her own, the four of them would sit at that table and catch up. Harley always drove those conversations, always so genuinely interested in everything Tim and Jason said because she loved them so much. They would sit at that table, where the sun always seemed to be shining and the teapot always smelled like some type of flower, and they would talk for hours without Harley lagging in her attention.

So it felt wrong when Tim and Jason stepped out of the maze only to be confronted with silence. It felt wrong to look at that picnic table and see Harley staring down into a teacup, her hands holding it in a white knuckled grip as she steadily avoided looking at them. It felt wrong to see Harley looking so fragile and broken. In every memory Tim had of her, she was happy and amused and excited.

"Hello Jason," Ivy greeted. She'd been looking at Harley, one of her hands resting gently on Harley's wrist, but now she looked over at them. There was a fragile smile on her face, like she was happy to see them but so upset about Harly's pain that she couldn't muster up something more genuine. "Hello Timothy."

"Hi Pam," Tim greeted.

He and Jason had been holding hands, but now Jason dropped Tim's hand.

Tim watched as Jason stepped forward.

Jason's voice was quiet when he said, "Harley." Harley flinched. Jason's face softened. "Harley, please look at me."

There was a long moment before Harley looked up from her teacup.

"Hey," Jason greeted. He gave her a small smile. "What are you hiding from me for?"

"I hurt you," Harley said, her voice breaking at the end.

This was part of why they'd waited to come visit Harley. Jason still wasn't supposed to be out and about for long periods of time, but he would walk without the crutches. With clothes on to cover his scars there was no indication of Jason's injuries. There was nothing to serve a physical reminder to Harley of the time they'd spent with the Joker in Ethiopia.

"No," Jason said, shaking his head. He made his way across the clearing to the picnic table. He sat down next to Harley, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her so their foreheads touched. He told her, "You did what you had to in order to get me out of there. You _saved_  me Harley."

When Harley's shoulder started shaking, Ivy said, her voice soft, "Timothy. Why don't you come inside the house and help me make a new pot of tea? We finished the last one this one before you arrived."

No matter how much they loved Harley and Jason, this was something that Ivy and Tim couldn't understand.

So Tim nodded and agreed. "Okay."

* * *

The rest of the visit was somber, but the mood improved a little bit.

When Ivy and Tim returned to the picnic table, Tim carrying a tray with clear teapot containing the marigold tea that Ivy had made, Harley and Jason were speaking quietly about a book that Jason had read recently. When he sat down with them, he realized that the book they were talking about was one that Jason had read when he was in the hospital. Tim had read it after Jason finished, so once he was seated he joined the conversation. When he started talking, Harley looked at him with a bit of surprise before a small smile settled on her lips. Tim was happy about that. He hoped that Harley forgetting Tim was there meant that Jason had distracted her from everything going on in her head, drawn her out of her guilt and into the moment.

As they were talking about the book, Ivy poured each of them a cup of fresh tea and gave each of them one of the cookies that she'd made before the visit. Afterwards she drew the conversation away towards what the boys had been up to, asking what they had been up to that summer and what they were planning on doing for the rest of it.

They spoke carefully, speaking around all the appointments Jason had as a result of his time with the Joker, but what they shared they shared happily. Tim told them how he and Jason had gone to the aquarium the other day. He didn't mention how they'd gone because the winding paths were good for Jason's recovery, allowing him to walk but also giving him spaces where he could sit down when walking caused him too much pain, instead focusing on the things he knew they would like. Tim did his best to tell Ivy about the coral and vegetation in the tanks. He told Harley about the animals, how they'd gotten to touch the stingrays and how there was a new baby turtle that they'd gotten to see. Jason told them how they'd gone camping with Dick and Barbara. He didn't mention how they'd almost canceled the plans because Bruce wasn't sure it was a good idea for Jason to be camping when his leg was still in a cast. Instead he told Harley how they'd all gotten into an argument about what a perfectly roasted marshmallow looked like. He told Ivy how they'd been expecting not to come back to town until Monday and how they'd left early on Sunday because Dick had stepped in poison ivy when he'd gone to pee Saturday night.

When Jason and Tim left several hours later the atmosphere in Robins Park wasn't quite as warm as it had been previously, but it wasn't as cold as it'd been when they arrived either. It was a step in the right direction.

A week after their visit to Robins Park, Tim turned fourteen.

Tim hadn't seen his parents in six months, but the morning of his birthday he received a phone call from them. They woke him up when they called, they'd obviously forgotten the time difference between Beijing and Gotham, but Tim ignored Jason's groaning and played the good son for ten minutes. After breakfast that morning, Alfred had made Tim's favorite strawberry pancakes and allowed Tim two cups of coffee, the two of them went over to the Drake's mansion in order to pick up the gift that Tim's parents had sent him.

When they arrived back at the manor, Tim carrying a brand new camera and Jason sorting through a small box of Asian sweets, they found that Tim's birthday party had already started. No one seemed to mind that they were late, instead just seeming genuinely happy to see Tim and excited to celebrate with him. He and Jason sat at a table with Luke, Tam, Marcus, and Arielle. The six of them split the candy in the box. When Marcus and Arielle got confused about something since neither of them had ever been to Asia, the rest of them were happy to help them figure out what they were likely to enjoy. Alfred had ordered Tim a two tiered cake with candy designed to look like a film reel wrapping around it and when Tim blew out the candles his ears were still ringing from the Commissioner's incredibly off-tune rendition of "Happy Birthday." After the cake had been eaten and the presents opened, Jason managed to convince Bruce and Dick to pair up for a game of lawn darts against himself and Tim.

Tim spent the afternoon with his family.

Not once did Janet or Jack Drake cross his mind.

* * *

"Jason," Tim said, "I'm not really sure this a good idea."

His hesitance, however, wasn't enough to stop Tim from following Jason across the cave.

It was early morning on Jason's birthday, late enough for Bruce to be back from patrol but not early enough for anyone to be awake yet. Their alarm clock had gone off around thirty minutes ago. Tim had tried to ignore it. He'd been telling Jason this was a bad idea for a week and he was desperately hoping that if he just went back to sleep than Jason would forget all about it. Instead of forgetting, though, Jason had shoved Tim out of the bed and then darted out of the room before Tim could protest. He knew Tim wasn't going to let him do this alone.

"It's fine," Jason dismissed. "I passed one of the courses."

"That's only a third of what you need to pass!" Tim argued.

"Yeah, well, it's a third further than you," Jason said.

"It doesn't matter how many courses I've passed. I'm not the one who wants to go joyriding in the batmobile!" Tim argued. Jason ignored Tim, focusing instead on putting in the code for the garage. When the doors slid open, Jason stepped inside. Tim followed after. "Bruce is going to find out, you know?"

"I know," Jason said. He weaved between the vehicles in the garage, taking a moment to run his hand over one of Dick's old bikes. Tim was actually a little surprised Jason had picked the batmobile for his joyride since he knew Bruce had already agreed to build a bike for him. New Jersey law said that Jason wouldn't be allowed to go for his motorcycle licence until he was seventeen, but Batman was fine with Stray having one at sixteen as long as he could prove to Bruce that he could handle it. "But if you stop dragging your feet, he won't find out until after we're gone."

They'd reached the batmobile's parking space now.

Jason made his way around the car to the drivers side. He peered at Tim over the top of the car, "Are you coming with me or not?"

Tim looked down at the batmobile, then back at Jason.

He thought about how excited Jason had been when he first started his driving course. He thought about they'd taken the maserati to pick Jason up the day he got his permit and how he'd lit up when Bruce told him he could drive them back home. He thought about all of the times when Jason had begged everyone from Selina to Alfred to Dick to let him drive anytime they were with any of them.

He thought about how Jason would be turning sixteen that day and how he wasn't spending the afternoon at the DMV because his time with the Joker had stopped him from being able to finish his driving lessons.

"Alright," Tim said, leaning forward to grab the door handle. "I'm coming."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Hi everyone! I hope everyone liked this chapter!
> 
> 2) I'm a tiny bit worried that the ending of the first section seems like an abrupt shift, but Jason's just been through something very traumatic and I think it goes to show out that doesn't go away and how it's going to effect even little moments in his life for a long time.
> 
> 3) Chapter title from the Great Gatsby.


	15. When I Grow Up, I Don't Wanna be Famous, I Just Wanna Be With You

"Why are you awake?"

Tim startled, looking down to find Jason staring up at him. "Oh. I'm sorry, Jay. I didn't realize I woke you up."

"You should be. The school year starts in literally four hours and your already preventing me from getting healthy amounts of sleep," Jason said. The two of them were in their bed. Tim was sitting up with his back against the headboard, his knees drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them. Tim had thought Jason was still asleep, but now Jason had rolled over to face Tim and was staring up at him with sleepy, half closed eyes. His hair was a mess, raven locks sticking up in all directions. "So I ask again: why are you awake?"

"It's fine," Tim said. "I slept for a little bit."

"Don't say that," Jason said. "You're about to start high school. Sleep is not to be taken for granted like that."

Tim's lips twitched, amusement flashing through him. "Is that right?"

"Yes," Jason said. "I'm an upperclassmen now. Take the advice your elder is giving you."

"Whatever you say," Tim said. There was a small pause before Tim asked, "Any other advice for me?"

There was a long pause, silence stretching between the two of them.

After a moment Jason asked, "Is that why you're awake? You're nervous about starting high school?"

"A little bit," Tim said, shrugging as he looked away from Jason. He didn't exactly bury his head in his knees, but he wanted to. It was embarrassing to be so worried about something this simple, especially when he'd spent the last two years seeing Jason go through high school. It wasn't like he was throwing himself into some new, uncharted territory. Except... Jason and Tim went to very different schools and Tim didn't know what to expect from Gotham Academy's High School. "It's just a different experience, you know?"

"I'm aware." Feeling the bed shift, Tim looked over again to see Jason was pushing himself up.

"You don't have to-" Tim started.

"Listen," Jason cut in. He folded his legs under him, maneuvering so he was facing Tim and then reaching up to place his hands on either side of Tim's face. "I'm not going to lie to you, high school _is_  different and it does suck a little bit."

"That's really motivating, Jay, thank you-"

"But," Jason said, pressing in on Tim's cheeks and cutting him off. Tim scrunched his nose, shooting Jason a look. For a moment amusement flitted across Jason's face, but then it settled into something serious again, "high school isn't anything for you to be nervous about, okay? You've got me with you and there is absolutely nothing you could struggle with in high school that I wouldn't do my best to help you with." Jason leaned in closer, pushing their foreheads together. Tim did his best to look Jason in his eyes, though it was a little difficult when they were so close. "Do you remember what I told you last summer? When you were worried that growing up meant that the two of us were going to change?"

Tim nodded as much as he could with Jason holding his face the way he was. He repeated, "It's you and me until one of us dies."

Jason said, "High school is going to be different, but the important things in your life are staying the same, yeah? It's still you and me until one of us dies."

"Okay," Tim said, nodding. It wasn't, he thought, the best pep talk but it did soothe something inside of Tim. "Okay."

"Alright." Jason let go of Tim's face, pitching forward to wrap one arm around Tim's shoulders and then pulling Tim down with him as he went to flop down onto the bed. He held Tim against the pillow. "Now, we've got another two hours before we've got to get up and get ready. Go the fuck to sleep until then."

Tim looked at Jason, the older boy's eyes closed and his lips open a little as he tried to fall back asleep.

Change was terrifying, but Tim stared at Jason and wondered if he would ever stop being so terrified of losing Jason that he could take the steps to make the change in their relationship that he wanted. 

* * *

Jason was right when he said that Tim starting high school didn't change the important things.

Tim had to wake up earlier since Gotham Academy's upper division started an hour later than it's lower divisions, but that didn't change the important parts of his morning. The family still had breakfast together everyday. Bruce still sat at the head of the table, quietly nursing a cup of coffee until he'd been awake long enough to have gathered the energy to lift a fork. Selina still sat next to him, smiling as she laughed at Bruce and asking everyone's plans for the day. Jason still sat next to Tim, begging to be allowed at least one cup of coffee and smothering his waffles in too much sugary syrup.

The structure of Tim's school days days had changed, but all of the important parts were still the same. He still spent his free periods in the library with Tam. They studied half the time - because Fox's and Drake's were expected to do well in school - but the other half they spent goofing around like normal teenagers. He still spent his lunches with her and her friends, a group of girls that Tim was friendly with but didn't necessarily consider friends of his, though Luke often joined them now that they were in the same school The Fox's sibling banter was a familiar thing, even in this different context. Tim still walked out of school every day to find Jason waiting for him at the gates or with plans to meet Jason at Gotham Public.

Tim had to study a bit more to keep up with his work, but the important parts of his afternoons stayed the same. Whenever he and Jason got home, whether it was right after school or they'd gone out with their friends first, Alfred was there to greet them with a warm smile. After greetings were exchanged, Tim and Jason would go to the living room and settle in. They still spread their books out across every surface and sat so they were touching in some way, whether that was the press of their knees when they both sat at the coffee table or Tim spreading out on the couch while Jason sat on the floor with his head against Tim's hip while he read a novel for class.

Those things were, mostly, the same as they had always been and Tim found that that was enough to assuage his initial anxiety.

What did change, though, was the way that Tim looked at Jason.

Tim had come to terms with his crush on Jason before everything with the Joker, but those events had helped Tim come to terms with the extent of that crush. Namely that it wasn't really a crush at all, but something a lot more intense that had taken root in Tim's heart when they'd first met and only grown over time. Tim was completely and utterly in love with Jason, an intense and all encompassing feeling that should've been scary but which Tim found comforting more than anything.

The only problem was that Tim couldn't tell how Jason felt.

Tim knew that Jason loved him, the two of them were attached in a way that meant they understood each other's words and feelings and thoughts in a way that people outside of their duo would never understand either of them, but that love had blanketed Tim for so long that Tim didn't know how to figure out the extent of that love.

He knew that Jason's love for him wasn't the same sort of familial, brotherly love that Dick felt for them. Tim knew that things between them had always been different than that.

He just didn't know if that love was different because if it was romantic or if that love was different simply because the bond Tim and Jason shared was one that couldn't be replicated in their other relationships. 

* * *

"Jason, there you are!"

Jason was talking to Marcus about choices for the winter play. Upperclassman got make suggestions for the shows that the theater club put on each year and they had offered their suggestions on Friday. Their teacher was supposed to announce their decision to them on Monday which was causing a lot of friction between Jason and Marcus, who wanted very different plays to be selected. Jason was in firm support of MacBeth, but Marcus argued that they'd done a tragedy for the spring musical and that Jason having missed that didn't mean that Marcus wanted to put on something so somber again.

Tim was tucked into Jason's side, listening to the conversation but not really offering anything to it. Jason had been keeping an eye on him, making sure that Tim's silence wasn't because he was tired or ready to go but it as though Tim was feeling fine and was simply content to let the conversation go on without him.

Breaking away from the conversation, Jason looked over to find Arielle weaving through the crowd as she made her way towards Jason, Tim, and Marcus.

The four of them were at a Halloween party one of the other members of the theater club was hosting.

They'd gone Halloween shopping together and when Jason had seen how hard it was for Arielle to find a costume that covered her up properly given the weather, he'd suggested that all of them throw out proper clothing and go for a revealing group costume idea. So all four of them were dressed as carebears, wearing short dresses with poofy skirts and short sleeves. They each wore thigh high stockings and colored shoes with just a slight heel. Jason had gone with Funshine bear, Tim with Tenderheart bear, Marcus with Good Luck bear, and Arielle with Bedtime Bear. Board and large as he was, Jason ended up looking more ridiculous than anyone else and he couldn't find it in himself to care because Arielle had stopped looking so distressed and started laughing when he'd first suggested it.

"Yes," Jason said, smiling at her as she approached the group. "Here I am."

"I've been looking for you."

"What for?"

"Leanna wants to talk to you about something," Arielle said.

Jason glanced around for the girl in question, a pretty Sophomore from the club that worked mostly with the costume department, and when he didn't find her nearby he said, "She didn't come with you?"

"No, she didn't know where you would be," Arielle said. "So I told her to wait by the stairs and I'd figure out where you had gone and bring you to her."

"Why does Leanna want to talk to talk to Jason?" Marcus asked. Jason, quietly, agreed with the question. Leanna was a sweet girl, but Jason didn't speak to her particularly often and he didn't really understand why she was going out of her way to look for him. When Arielle didn't say anything, Marcus added, "Is this a girl thing? Are you helping her find him so she can tell him she has a crush on him?"

"What?" Jason said, surprised. "She does?"

"Everyone in the club knows she has a crush on you," Marcus said. Jason glanced over to Arielle, finding that she was shooting Marcus a look of anger and exasperation. "Everyone we just trying to convince her not to say anything since you only care about-"

"Jay," Tim said, speaking up for the first time since Arielle had joined them. Jason shifted his attention to him, glancing down at Tim. They'd been touching the entire time, Jason resting an arm around Tim's shoulders, but now he noticed that Tim had tucked himself in closer. Jason was so used to Tim being pressed against him, his presence warm and steady, that he hadn't felt it happening. "Dick and Barbara want to know if we want pancakes before we go home."

Jason felt a little disoriented by the sudden shift in conversation, but ultimately he said, "I mean, I'm not going to object if Dick is paying for them. Do they want to go now?"

"I think so," Tim said, looking away from Jason and down at the phone in his hand. Jason figured he was texting Dick a confirmation. "If we wait much longer we'd probably miss curfew."

Their curfew - a strict eleven o'clock - had been part of the agreement Jason had struck with Bruce and Selina so that they could go to the party. The Joker was still out so they hadn't been too keen on Jason and Tim being out, but Jason refused to be locked away in fear. They'd agreed that Jason and Tim would come home by eleven, well before any of the big villains came out to play and more than reasonable given that despite their training they were still only fourteen and sixteen.

Jason hesitated for a moment, wondering about Leanna. He wasn't interested in the girl, but if what Marcus said was true than he didn't want to hurt her feelings by blowing her off either. In the end he decided that Marcus was messing with him. Selina had trained Jason, he thought he was perceptive enough to realize if someone had a crush on him or not.

"Alright," Jason said. To Arielle, he said, "Could you tell Leanna that I'll catch her at school on Monday? We've got to get going."

Arielle let out a small sigh before nodding. "Okay."

* * *

Jason apparently thought too highly of himself, because a blushing Leanna pulled him aside before they started class on Monday. As she stuttered out that she liked Jason and asked if he might want to catch a movie together that weekend, Jason's face flushed a deep red. Feeling embarrassed about having not having noticed her feelings, Jason found himself stuttering as well as he fumbled with the words to tell her that he wasn't interested.

When they parted, she looked crush and a bit like she was going to cry. Jason thought she must have actually started crying. The two of them had stepped outside of the classroom to speak and Jason anticipated that she'd come in a few minutes after him, but she ended up never returning. Only a few minutes after class started up, two of the girls he knew she was close to darted out and didn't return.

Jason felt terrible about the whole thing, but he thought it would have been crueler to pretend he felt the same way.

The thing was that Jason knew that Leanna wasn't the only girl in school that looked at him that way. He usually got a few things sent to him on Valentines Day and he'd been asked out by girls that were a little more confident than Leanna had been before. Jason thought, in another life, he probably would have liked the attention.

The problem wasn't that he didn't like girls, because he did. He'd had a few thoughts about girls before, imaging what soft full curves would feel like under his fingers and what it would be like to kiss fruity lip gloss covered lips. He was interested in boys as well, more than once Jason had found himself staring at the strong lines of Roy Harper's arms or the thick muscle of Wally West's calves when Dick showed photos of his friends, but that wasn't why he rejected the girls. The problem was that those thoughts of Jason's were quiet, fleeting things.

Jason liked boys and he liked girls, but more important than either of those things was how fall he'd fallen for Tim.

Jason was sixteen. He hadn't ever gone on a date and he hadn't had his first kiss yet, but Jason didn't care about any of those things because the only person he could imagine doing those things with was Tim.

But Jason also knew that he was two years older than Tim, that he'd reached conclusions about their relationship before Tim would have even started thinking about romance. Jason didn't have any doubt that eventually he and Tim _would_ do those things together -  
Jason knew how he felt about Tim and he knew how Tim felt about him.

Jason wasn't going to push Tim into anything though. He'd wait until Tim was ready to take the first steps in changing their relationship.

Waiting didn't seem like such a big deal when it was Tim he was waiting for.

* * *

"Hey, bird boy."

Robin had been looking out towards the docks, wondering if he should slip off his patrol route and make sure that nothing was happening down there, but now he turned to look behind him.

Stray was crouched down on a roof across the street. Robin knew that his costume had been changed since the last time Stray had been out, but the changes weren't noticeable on a darkly lit Gotham Night. It looked the same form fitting leather suit as always. He had his goggles pushed up into his hair and he wore a thin domino like Robin himself was. He'd told Robin that originally the costume had a cowl like Catwoman and Batman's, but that it'd felt stifling and suffocating and he'd had Catwoman change it almost immediately.

Stray was watching Robin with a bright grin on his lips and a twinkle in his eyes.

It was Stray's first night out on the streets since being benched months ago.

"Hey there, kitty cat," Robin said, a smile spreading over his lips. "What are you up to?"

"Looking for crime to stop," Stray said.

"Yeah?" Robin said. "I thought you'd be busy _committing_ crime."

"Oh you haven't heard?" Stray said. He leaned forward, teetering on the ledge of the building he was crouched on as his grin widened. Robin felt a flash of panic for a moment, worried that Stray would topple. He knew it was unlikely, Stray and Catwoman had excellent balance, but he still felt relieved when Stray righted himself again. "We're on the straight and narrow now."

That had been a decision made after Ethiopia. Living together would have made a life of crime awkward, more than that the idea of being grouped together with the Joker as one of Gotham's criminals had been sickening to the pair. Catwoman and Stray's crimes had never committed crimes anywhere near what Gotham's other rogues did, but just the thought of being associated with the Joker chaffed.

"That's good," Robin said. They smiled at each other for a moment, playfulness giving way to something quieter. After a moment, he asked, "How did you convince Catwoman to left you come out alone?"

"I told her that I wanted to patrol with you and reminded her that the two of us work better together than either of us do alone," Stray answered with a small shrug. Robin believed that was probably part of it, but he thought there was probably also something there about why it was that Stray had ended up in the Joker's hands to begin with. Taking away Stray's freedom wasn't the way to keep him from dangerous situations. It just meant that he ended up in more dangerous situations in his quests to get that freedom back. "So? Where are you headed?"

"The docks, I think," Robin said. He tilted his head a bit. "You want to come with?"

"Oh absolutely," Stray said. His grin went sharp, filled with his obvious excitement at being back in costume. "There's always someone stirring trouble down there."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Hi everyone! I hope everyone liked this chapter! I'm sorry it took so long to get to. I ended up writing a lot of one shots for various things this month. 
> 
> 2) [Here](https://www.ebay.com/itm/Care-Bear-Costume-Adult-80s-Halloween-Fancy-Dress-/271608097767) is the Halloween costume the boys, Marcus, and Arielle are wearing. 
> 
> 3) Misunderstandings!! But the type that causes mutual pining instead of anger and breakups. The boys major problem, honestly, is that they're so close and they've been in love for so long that it's hard for them to notice these things because nothing changes when it's how you've been operating for years. 
> 
> 4) Chapter title is a play on the line from the Pussycat Dolls "When I Grow Up"


	16. We Thought the Horror Show Had Passed

Jason was woken by the sound of the bedroom door slamming shut, then Dick yelling, "Rise and shine! It's Christmas losers!" Jason barely had time to process what was going on before he felt a heavy weight slam down on him.

There was a moment of flailing and coughing before Jason realized that the weight settled over him was Dick, who had launched himself off from the doorway onto Tim and Jason's bed. Jason took a moment to make sure that Dick hadn't landed on Tim, because while Jason could handle Dick's weight it was harder for Tim to do.

He was relieved to see that Dick had managed to completely miss Tim. Jason wasn't sure if Tim had been awake and waiting for Jason before Dick had come in or if Dick's arrival had just taken Tim from fully asleep to fully awake, but Tim apparently had apparently managed to muster up enough energy to roll away from the pile of limbs that was Jason and Dick. Jason looked over at him just in time to see Tim roll off the bed, catching himself on his feet and standing up once he was off.

Dick sparing Tim didn't mean that Jason was going to spare Dick, however.

"Get off of me, fat ass!" Jason swore.

He bucked his hips in an attempt to dislodge Dick, but the older boy just wrapped his arms around Jason and clung tightly so he couldn't be moved. Jason was strong, but not quite strong enough to get someone six years older than him off of him.

"I'll get off when you get up," Dick said. "It's Christmas, Jaybird, and you know Alfred won't let us open presents until we've all had breakfast."

"I want to sleep."

"I want to open my presents."

"Are you twenty-two or twelve?"

"Jason, I'm an independent adult who has to pay for his own things. To top that off, I'm expected to buy those things using the paycheck I get from being a cop in a city where have the force is supplementing the shitty pay with bribes," Dick said. "I am not wasting one of the few times a year when people buy things _for_  me instead of me having to spend my own money."

There was a retort on the tip of his tongue, but before Jason could get it out, Tim said, "We're up now, Jay. We might as well go get breakfast."

"Yes," Dick agreed. "Plus, it's Christmas so breakfast means Christmas pancakes."

Christmas pancakes weren't all that different from the pancakes Alfred usually made. The main difference was in the fact that instead of making them with blueberries or something, Alfred would make chocolate chip pancakes using red and green colored chocolates. Jason loved Alfred's blueberry pancakes, but Christmas pancakes were a rare, special treat that every one of the boys enjoyed.

"Fine. I'll get up so we can go have breakfast," Jason said.

Dick let out a loud whoop, something which had Jason wincing given how close together they were, before letting go of Jason. He rolled off of him, landing on his feet just as Tim had before. "Alright! Let's go get some pancakes and presents!"

* * *

When the boys entered the dining room, Jason was surprised to find that Barbara had joined the rest of the family for Christmas breakfast. She usually spent holidays with her father. While the family was sorting out food, however, Jason learned that the Commissioner had been called in on a big case late the night before so Barbara had decided to spend Christmas morning with the Wayne's while he slept. She and Dick would go see him that afternoon before splitting up for the night.

Jason was sorry that her father had had to work on Christmas eve, but part of him was happy to have Barbara there with them. She was a part of the puzzle that they'd learned to live without, but a completed puzzle was always better than one that was missing a piece. They all preferred having her around to having her gone.

Jason spent most of breakfast talking Barbara about the new books that the library had gotten, the two of them discussing which ones Jason had already read and which ones Barbara thought he would enjoy. He could hear the conversations the others were having, though. Alfred and were Bruce were talking to Dick about Bludhaven, checking in on how he was doing alone in the city and asking questions about what was going on with his job. Selina and Tim were having a conversation about photography, discussing some photographer that had been at the Wayne's Christmas charity gala a few nights ago.

With the whole family gathered around the table breakfast was a loud, messy affair, but Jason enjoyed it.

He loved all of them and he enjoyed having all of them around him.

After breakfast, the group piled into the living room and Dick passed the presents out, forming his own pile next to Barbara.

Jason ended up getting a small pile of books from Barbara and Alfred, a new leather jacket from Dick, and broadway tickets from Selina.

Before opening the rest, Jason had been instructed to wait to open Bruce's gift until last. He knew that Bruce must have gotten him something big, because usually they were all given more than one present from Bruce and Selina but Jason had only one from Bruce and Selina each this year, but the box that he'd been handed was small and Jason had no idea what could have possibly been inside.

So when he tore the paper off and opened a small box to find a set of car keys, he couldn't help the sound that fell out of his mouth.

Given everything that had happened with the Joker, Jason had only finished driver's training and gotten his license a few weeks ago. He'd been begging Bruce to let him borrow one of the cars in the garage since then, something that Bruce was usually happy to let him do as long as Jason told him where he was going, but it had never even occurred to him to ask Bruce for a car of his own.

Jason got up to hug Bruce as soon as he managed to tear his eyes away from the keys.

As Bruce returned the gesture, wrapping his arms tightly around Jason and whispering how proud he was of him, Jason was struck by just how much his life had changed.

Catherine had been his mother and Jason loved her dearly, but this was a life that he never would have dreamed of having when he was with her. Back then the most he could anticipate for Christmas day was that Catherine might have managed to save money to get him a toy or maybe to get more food than usual for dinner. Getting a car for Christmas would have been something so completely unrealistic that it never would have occurred to him.

More than that though, Christmas with Catherine had just been the two of them.

He was so glad that he got to have this family that he had now. He was so glad that he got to have a grandfather that was always worrying over his eating habits and two parents that loved him so much that they worried for his safety as intensely as they did. He was so glad that he got to have an irritating older brother who did stupid things like jump on him to wake him up on Christmas day and an amazing older sister who didn't mind when Jason rambled to her about books even though he was sure she got enough of that at work. He was so glad that he got to have Tim who would by Jason's side throughout anything.

Jason had days when he missed Catherine fiercely, but he wouldn't have traded the family he had now for anything in the world. Not even another day with her. 

* * *

"That's not a word," Jason said, a deep frown on his face as he stared down at the board between them.

"It is," Tim said. "It's a type of saucer shaped cup that-"

"You are pulling this out of your ass," Jason interrupted. He looked away from the board, focusing on Tim instead. "That's absolutely not a word."

"It is," Tim said again.

Jason stared at him for a moment before reaching for the dictionary nearby.

Tim watched as Jason flipped through the pages, a small smile on his lips.

It was a Saturday afternoon and the two of them were sprawled out together in the living room as they played Scrabble together. Tim was lying on his stomach with a pillow under his chest while Jason was sitting cross-legged across from him.

Janet and Jack had stayed out of town for Christmas that year, but they'd returned to Gotham for New Years. Tim had spent most of the last two weeks at Drake mansion. At fourteen his parents were a lot more accepting of Tim not being around the house as long as he was there for whatever parties they were throwing or going to, but their arrival had still cut Tim's time with his family down dramatically.

However, Janet and Jack had finally jet off again, leaving Tim free to return home to his family.

He was happy to be at the manor with Jason again.

Since Jason was focused on the dictionary and Tim had turned his attention back to the Scrabble board, trying to figure out what words he could make after Jason took his turn, so neither of them noticed that someone else had entered the living room until they heard, "Master Jason, Master Timothy, could you please put the game away?"

Tim looked up to find Alfred standing in the doorway, mouth already opened to ask Alfred why. When he saw the look on Alfred's face, however, the words on the tip of his tongue changed into, "What happened? Is everyone okay?"

"I'm afraid not, Master Timothy." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jason drop the dictionary and turn towards Alfred. He hadn't been paying attention before, but now Jason's was giving Alfred his full attention in the same way that Tim was. Alfred took a deep breath, as though he needed to prepare himself to say the words, before saying, "Miss Gordon is in the hospital. Her father and Master Dick are at the hospital with her, but I think it's best we go to the hospital to support her and them."

Tim felt his stomach drop.

"What happened?" Jason asked. Tim was frozen, remembering that horrible moment when Alfred had told him the Joker had Jason, but Jason was already leaning forward to grab the box for the game.

Alfred seemed to debate what to say for a moment, but eventually he said, "Miss Gordon was shot."

"By who?" Jason said.

"I don't know Master Jason," Alfred said. "I believe Master Bruce is on his way to her apartment to look for any clues that could help him answer that question."

Jason looked as though he wanted to ask if he could join Bruce instead of going to the hospital.

Tim reached out before Jason could say anything, grabbing onto Jason's wrist.

Jason couldn't leave him now.

Jason must have understood what Tim was trying to portray, because he flashed Tim a small smile, obviously meant to be comforting, and shifted his hand so his fingers brushed against Tim's wrist instead of asking to accompany Bruce instead of going to the hospital.

Tim was so, so relieved.

He couldn't sit in a hospital waiting to see if Barbara was okay without Jason by his side, not when Tim knew the whole thing would bring up memories of when it had been Jason that they were all waiting for news on. 

* * *

The things about Barbara Gordon was that to Tim, she had always been someone stronger than the rest of them.

Robin had Batman, no matter whether it was the first or the second. Stray had Catwoman. When things went sour with Batman, the first Robin had the Teen Titans. When Batman and Catwoman were gone, the second Robin and Stray had each other.

But Batgirl had seen everything going on in the world and picked up her mantle all alone.

Nowadays Nightwing operated alone in Bludhaven, but he had started doing that only once he had grown up. He had started working alone only once he had almost a decade of experience under his belt.

Batgirl was the only one of the children to have the kind of strength, the kind of bravery, that it took to be a lonely vigilante in Gotham from the very start. She happily accepted their help when they offered it, but most of her vigilante life was spent alone.

Even out of her costume, Barbara Gordon embodied a type of strength that Tim wished he had. Barbara had been left to raise herself from a young age, not because her father didn't love her but because the life of a cop was busy and sometimes it was hard to keep a promise to a daughter in face of a murdered family. But Barbara didn't resent her father for it.

Their situations were entirely different, because Barbara was alone for a day at most and saw her father plenty even if they sometimes went a long time without a meaningful interaction, but Tim had always admired that about Barbara. Tim had been left alone and grown to hate his parents for it, had drawn a line in the sand with his parents on the other side, but Barbara had had the strength as a child to grow past that loneliness. She had grown to not just love her father, but to understand why he had to leave her and to admire him for helping people. She had the strength to treasure the moments she had with him instead of hating him for the moments that she wasn't with him.

So to Tim, Barbara was someone who was unfaltering strong.

Waiting around for her doctor to come speak to them, waiting to see if Barbara was going to survive her surgery, was something that Tim was having trouble with.

Tim wanted Barbara to be okay not just because she was his sister and he loved her, but because if something happened to someone as strong as Barbara than what chance did the rest of them have of being okay?

The days when Jason had been his coma, none of them quite sure when or if he would wake up, had been some of the worst in Tim's life. Tim didn't know what he would have done if Jason hadn't ended up okay.

Sitting in that waiting room, Tim tightened his grip on Jason's hand and made a silent promise.

He was going to find a way to get stronger so that he could protect Jason, because losing Jason absolutely was not an option. 

* * *

"Knock, knock," Jason said, already pushing the door open as the words left his mouth.

"Hey there," Barbara greeted, turning away from Dick to look at Jason and Tim as they entered the hospital room. There was a small smile on her face. Jason found himself immensely relived to see it. Barbara hadn't smiled a lot in the first few weeks after her surgery, but now her smiles were becoming more common again. "What are you two doing here?"

"We brought you a Valentines gift," Tim said. He lifted the bear in his hands up, showing it to her. It was a soft white bear with red hearts in it's ears and on the flats of it's feet. It was holding a large red heart that said 'I Love You' in swooping white lettering. "We would have brought chocolate too, but we weren't sure if you could eat those yet."

"Oh thank you guys," Barbara said, holding her hands out for the bear. Tim stepped forward to give it to her. Barbara's smile widened a bit as she pulled it to his chest. "It's very cute."

"You're welcome," Jason said. He grabbed one of the extra chairs in the room, moving it closer to the bed and sitting down in it. He glanced at Dick before saying, "Sorry if we're interrupting you guys. We wanted to give B and Selina some time alone, so we asked Alfred to bring us over when he picked us up from school."

Even though Bruce had found the Joker and thrown him back into Arkham shortly after the attack on Barbara, the restrictions on Jason and Tim's activities were still pretty heavy. Neither of them minded that a whole lot though. The threat on their lives had never been so apparent as they had been over the past few years and each incident made it easier for Jason to accept the constraints. Things would loosen up once things were safe again, but keeping Tim safe was more important than arguing with Bruce and Selina just because their protection, their _love_ , was occasionally a little suffocating.

"It's fine," Dick dismissed. He was sitting in a chair on the other side of Barbara's hospital bed, leaning backwards in his chair so that he could get the leverage needed to rest his legs over Barbara's. "I'm gonna go get us dinner later, but we weren't doing anything when you guys came in."

"We should do something now though," Barbara said. She leaned over, setting the bear on the table next to the bed and grabbing a deck of cards instead. "Cards?"

"Okay," Tim agreed, settling into a chair next to Jason. He folded his legs under him so that his knee poked through the chairs arms, pressing up against Jason's thigh. "But can we play Go Fish or something? Everyone except me cheats at any other game."

"You cheat too," Jason said, moving his leg to jiggle Tim's thigh pointedly. "You just aren't any good at it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Hi everyone! I hope you've all been having a good time and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry this took so long. I was on spring break and I ended up taking a little break then it was hard to get into the swing of things to write the story that I had to update before this one. 
> 
> 2) Overexcited big brother Dick was fun to write at the beginning given the later events of this chapter. 
> 
> 3) Originally the fourth section was Jason reflecting on killing/not killing in the aftermath of Barbara being shot, but for some reason I ended up liking the idea of what /Tim/ would be thinking in that section more. 
> 
> 4) I'm feeling odd about this chapter? I think it might just be because it's been so long since I wrote this story. Let me know what you thought?
> 
> 5) Barbara is definitely TOO recovered in the last one, but this story isn't from Babs point of view and I think that Barbara is an incredibly strong character who would want to fake being okay for Jason and Tim because she doesn't want them to worry about her.


	17. The World Keeps Turning

"Alright. I'm picking Monopoly," Jason said, walking into the living room with the box in his hand.

Barbara and Tim were already settling in around Barbara's dining room table.

Game night at Barbara's house had become a thing a few weeks ago, when Barbara was finally released from the hospital and returned home. She was still adjusting to her wheelchair, so she didn't go out very much. Jason and Tim came to visit so she'd have people to talk to her. The Commissioner was staying with her for now, while Barbara was adjusting to the wheel chair, but he wasn't around all the time and they were both certain that Barbara enjoyed having someone other than her father around.

"We're going to be here for ages," Tim said.

"That's fine. It's not a school night," Barbara said. She reached forward to take her glass of lemonade from the table, adding, "If it takes too long, I'll call Bruce and you two can find a way to squeeze onto the couch. You'll end up getting more sleep than if you were out with Bruce and Selina."

"Well that's true," Jason agreed. He set the box on the table and Tim reached to pull it towards him immediately. As Tim lifted the lid off, Jason slipped into his seat. He said, "Is Dick not coming tonight? I thought we'd be waiting for him."

"No, he's in San Francisco with the Titans tonight," Barbara said. She gave them a small smile, something that looked a little forced. "He said he'd be here next week."

Jason and Tim exchanged a look. A silent conversation filled with confusion and worry passed between them. Things between Dick and Barbara had been weird for the past few months. They weren't exactly strained, but there was something in their relationship off enough that Jason and Tim had both noticed it.

Tim looked away first, turning his attention back to the box. "Okay. If Dick's coming back next week, then we'll need to finish tonight. We really are going up staying over."

"Spending several hours kicking your asses at Monopoly sounds fine to me," Jason said. He leaned forward so that he could peer into the box, "Where's the iron? I want it." He reached forward to start digging around the box, only to have his hand slapped away.

"Let me sort the money out before you go digging around for pieces," Tim said, hand already pulling away from Jason and reaching into the box. As he pulled out the colored money, he added, "This box is enough of a mess without you making it worst."

"I would argue that taking some of the pieces out would actually make it less of a mess."

"Maybe, except you'd be throwing all the money around and half of it would end up on the floor."

Jason frowned at Tim. "I'm not that messy, jerk."

"I've been in your bedroom," Barbara said. "You absolutely are that messy."

"How do you know I'm the problem?" Jason said. "It's Tim's room too."

"Jason," Barbara said. She caught his eye, a disbelieving smile settling on her lips. "Are you really trying to say that Tim is the one trashing your guys bedroom? He's the one with the ten piles of books and the printed out short stories everywhere?"

Jason opened his mouth to agree, but closed it after only a moment. "Alright. Maybe it is me. But that box is already a mess. Me digging for the iron wouldn't make it that much worse."

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Jason found himself strangely affected by everything going on with Barbara and Dick. Whatever was going on with their relationship, and Jason wasn't entire certain if it was just a bump or if it was the beginning of a breakdown, shouldn't have had anything to do with Jason.

But it did.

When he'd been a kid, his life had been a father in jail and a mother who did whatever she needed to do in order to get a fix. Then Selina had taken him in. He knew that Selina and Bruce loved each other, but their relationship had been a fragile thing. They were stable in that they were so fiercely together, but there was nothing binding them together other than some soft unspoken thing. It was better now that they were together, now that they had talked their way through things and Selina had moved into the manor, but they hadn't been that way very long.

Barbara and Dick had been together the entire time that Jason had known them, though. And not just together, but happy and stable and solid. They made each other laugh and they enjoyed each others company and they teased each other before kissing with smiles on their lips.

Jason had always looked at the two of them and thought that _that_  was what he wanted his relationship with Tim to be. One day when they were older and Tim was ready for it, he and Tim would be in a relationship like Barbara and Dick's.

So the fact that one event, even if it was really really really terrible event, has thrown the two of them so out of sync frightened Jason. He had always believed his relationship with Tim was sturdy and that nothing could throw them off balance, but the fact that Barbara and Dick had been thrown off by Barbara getting shot made him worry.

The two of them had gotten through Ethiopia stronger than ever, but watching the one relationship that he had always considered a stable had Jason panicking.

Jason had always wanted a relationship like Barbara and Dick's, but now the idea of having a relationship like theirs was the most terrifying thing in the world to Jason.

There was nothing he wanted less than for his relationship with Tim to end up strained like Barbara and Dick's was.

There was nothing he wanted less than to risk losing Tim the way that Barbara and Dick seemed to be losing each other. 

* * *

"Alright, alright," Nightwing called. "That's enough. He's just a kid, Aqualad. He can't go as long as we can."

Stray had been focused on his spar with Aqualad, but the two of them pulled apart at Nightwing's words.

Stray turned to Nightwing, a frown on his lips. "I'm sixteen, not six."

"You and Robin are the only people in this room who haven't hit the big two-oh," Nightwing said.

"Last I checked," Robin said as he strolled towards them. He held Stray's water bottle in his hand, having anticipated from the moment Nightwing referred to them as children that he would need something to distract Stray with. "This was called the Teen Titans. Not the Twenty Titans."

"And?"

"And it makes a lot more sense for us to be here than you," Robin said. He put his hand on Stray's bicep. "Here. Take a drink."

Stray looked over at Robin, eyes slightly furrowed. Wrapping his fingers around the bottle, he said, "Don't think I don't know what you're doing."

"I would never think otherwise."

As Stray took a drink, Nightwing let out a hearty laugh. "Well, I guess you're right."

"I'm always right." Despite being in the middle of taking a drink, Stray started chuckling. Robin jammed his elbow into his ribs. "Shut up."

"I know we haven't really talked about it," Nightwing said. "But have you two thought about it?"

Stray let out a sigh of relief as he pulled the water bottle away from his lips. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he asked, "Thought about what?"

"Joining the Teen Titans," Nightwing said.

Robin had been looking around the gym behind Nightwing, watching the other members of the Titan's as they spoke about the training session, but now all of his attention snapped to him. Glancing sideways, Robin could see that Stray had gone ramrod straight and was staring at Nightwing as well.

It was Stray who spoke, asking, "You want _us_  to join the Teen Titans?"

"I want you to at least think about it," Nightwing said. "Robin was right, you know. This is the _Teen_  Titans. The whole reason the group exists is so that teen heroes can start figuring out how to fight alone. I know you guys haven't been here very often, but the few weekends you have come down proved that you work well with us." He shrugged. "It's a step that you guys are ready to take. We all talked about it after the first few times you trained with us. If you guys want to join, we all agree that both of you would be good additions."

Robin and Stray looked away from Nightwing, turning to stare at each other instead.

"Guys, you don't need to make this decision right now," Nightwing said, laughing a little bit as he watched them. "I know you two are going to have a whole conversation about it. And you guys should talk to Bruce and Selina before you make a decision too. Bruce wasn't exactly pleased when I joined and I don't want you to go through what I went through with that." He added, "I just want you guys to know it's on the table so that you can think about it."

"Um," Robin said. He tore his gaze from Stray, looking back at Nightwing. "Okay. We'll think about it."

* * *

Tim and Jason were spending the weekend at Titan's Tower, something that they had started doing since their last birthdays.

Once they finished sparring and training, the entire team piled into the living room. They gathered on the Titan's large sofa and Dick ordered what seemed like a frankly ridiculous amount of pizzas. Tim was only a little bit surprised when they ended up eating every single one of them. There weren't many of them, but the Titans were a group of twenty year old aliens and metas. Plus Dick and his complete lack of powers.

While they were eating, they talked. The Titans were friendly and they drew Tim and Jason into their conversations without fuss. Roy drew Jason into a conversation about motorcycles and what type Jason wanted when he got his license next year. When Donna joined the conversation and Jason started blushing, stuttering over his words as his admiration of Wonder Girl took over, Roy just looped an arm around Jason's shoulders. He teased Jason, but it was friendly and companionable and it helped Jason get past his hero worship. Tim ended up in a conversation with Garth. He'd met Aquaman a few times when he was with Bruce at the Watch Tower, but the King of Atlantis wasn't exactly approachable. Aqualad was a hundred times easier to talk to, though, and he didn't have a problem answering all of the questions Tim asked about Atlantis. In fact, he seemed to welcome the opportunity to talk about his home.

The entire time the two of them sat next to each other, knees knocking every time one of them was jostled.

When night fell and the group broke for the night, Jason and Tim went to the room in the tower that they'd been using since their first visit to the tower. The two of them sat on the bed, facing each other with their legs crossed under them, and passed the pros and cons of Dick's offer to join.

Hours passed before they reached a decision.

In the end they decided that despite what Dick had said, they decided that they didn't feel ready to join the Titans.

It had been a mutual decision, but as the two of them flopped down to go to bed, Tim found himself thinking that someday it might be nice. They weren't ready for it yet, but the idea of being on a team like the Titan's was a good one. The idea of being on a team with Jason and a group of people that he could trust the way Dick trusted the Titan's was something that Tim enjoyed.

He wasn't ready for it yet.

But one day, maybe. 

* * *

"Well, you're certainly living up to your name," Tim said.

"Oh shut up," Jason said. He reached one finger out for the ginger cat in front of him, clicking his tongue in a way that he clearly hoped would entice him. The cat was small, but it was big enough that Tim didn't think it was a kitten or anything. It seemed more than happy to indulge Jason, stepping towards him cautiously but shoving his head down onto Jason's fingers once Jason started scratching under it's chin.

It was a warm spring day.

Jason and Tim had been walking through downtown Gotham, on their way to a park with a nice shaved ice booth in it, when Jason had caught sight of the kitten in an alleyway. He had immediately moved to the entrance of the street and crouched down to coo at the cat.

"Oh, you are a good kitty aren't you?" Jason cooed. The cat gave a soft meow as it pushed against Jason's fingers, as if responding to him. A smile spread across Tim's face as he crouched down next to Jason, fondness warm in his chest. He crossed his arms and rested them on his knees, content to watch Jason with the cat rather than playing himself. "I bet you'd be a really cute kitty if we could gave you a bath, now wouldn't you be? It's too bad that B is too much of a grouchy gus to let us bring you home, huh?"

"I don't think Bruce would mind," Tim said.

Jason glanced over at him. "B wouldn't let Selina and I bring cats."

"Because you and Selina were taking care of like thirty strays," Tim pointed out. "One cat is a lot different than thirty."

Jason hummed a bit, focusing back on the cat. After a moment he asked, "You really think Bruce won't mind if we bring him home?"

"He might object at first," Tim said, "but Selina and I are both on your side. And as long we take care of it, I think Alfred would be on our side too."

"What do you think kitty?" Jason asked, turning his hand so he could smooth his palm over the cat's head. "Do you wanna come home with us? Would you like that? Or do you wanna stay out here?" He watched the cat for a moment before nodding. He reached forward, carefully, and scooped the cat into his arms. Tim felt a small pulse of relief when the cat didn't fight Jason's hold, instead happily settling into his arms. They were far more likely to convince Bruce to keep the cat if they were dealing with an animal that was used to human contact. "I think you wanna come home with Timbo and I."

"We should skip the shaved ice if we're taking the cat home," Tim said. He hummed a bit, thinking about where they were. Looking behind them to reassure himself that they were where he thought they were, he said,"I think there's a pet shop nearby. We can go there and pick up some stuff for them."

"Him," Jason said. Tim looked back to find that Jason had lifted the cat above his head. He moved to cradle the cat back against his chest. "It's a him and I'm naming him Mr. Knightley."

"Okay, well, let's go find that pet shop and get some stuff for Mr. Knightley."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Hello everyone! I know this is a slow arc in this story, so I really hope everyone is enjoying the story still and I really appreciate you all sticking with it! I promise the next real arc is going to start really REALLY soon. You may be able to guess what that arc involves when reading this chapter!
> 
> 2) This is a really short chapter? I apologies for that and I hope it doesn't feel too out of place to anyone that might be binge reading this.


	18. If It’s All We Ever Have, I’d Be Happy With This Summer

"Tim and I are taking this room!" Jason shouted, pulling Tim into the room with him.

They were at a vacation home in the Seychelles that Bruce had rented for the family.

Selina took Jason and Tim on vacation out of the country every summer, but with everything that had happened to the family in the last year, Jason's incident last Spring and now Barbara's, Selina had insisted that the entire family take a break from Gotham. Bruce had put up a fight at first. Jason didn't know what Selina had said to him behind closed doors, but she had broken him down after only a week and plans had been made for the entire family - minus Barbara, who had said she would have liked to go but that it would have been too awkward given her and Dick's recent break up - to spend two weeks on the island.

Mr. Knightly let out an unhappy meow from his spot in the carrier Tim was carrying, obviously unhappy with the way Tim's movement made him swing. Bruce had agreed that Tim and Jason could keep the cat as long as they took care of him. They had been the ones to bring him home, so he was their responsibility. Jason had been more than happy to agree to those terms.

"Is that the one with the balcony?" Dick said. Jason could hear him stomping up the stairs, voice growing louder as he drew closer. "Because I told you in the car that I was taking the bal-"

"We were here first," Jason said. Tim made a twisting motion with his wrist. Jason took it as a signal that he wanted him to let go, so he let go of his hold. Immediately Tim walked away from Jason, moving further into the room. Jason stayed focused on Dick, who had reached the top of the stairs and was stepping up into the hallway. Meeting his eyes, Jason added, "You snooze, you lose."

Dick opened his mouth as if to argue, but Jason stuck his tongue out and then shut the door.

"That was very mature," Tim said. Turning, Jason found that Tim was standing near the bed in the room. He had set the cat carrier on the bed as if he was going to let Mr. Knightly out, but he was twisted around to look at Jason. He was grinning, amusement filling his expression. "No one would ever guess that you're two months away from seventeen. They would be absolutely amazed to hear that someone as mature as you was that young."

"Fuck off," Jason said. Tim just laughed, twisting back around to undo the cat carrier's latches.

Jason took a moment to glance around the room. The proper adults had taken the two large bedrooms downstairs, but this room wasn't exactly small. It didn't have a bathroom, but there was one right across the hall that Jason had almost gone into instead when he'd been running to claim this one before Dick. To the left of the bed was a pair of large, glass double doors that led out to a white balcony that faced out the water. The view was so gorgeous that Jason was honestly surprised Bruce and Selina hadn't decided they wanted this room.

"Honestly, though," Jason said, turning his focus back to Tim, "are you really bitching about the fact that my childishness got us a room this awesome?"

"Nope," Tim said. "I just like to make fun of you, even when I'm reaping the benefits of whatever I'm teasing you about."

"Jackass," Jason said, the word coming out fondly even as he reached out to press his palm against Tim's shoulders blades and pushed. Tim stumbled a bit under the pressure, turning to shoot a glare at Jason. He flashed a toothy grin before saying, "Come on, Timbo. Let's get the unhappy kitty out so that he can explore a new place and we can explore the beach."

* * *

Gotham had sunk her claws into Jason when he was a baby and had refused to let go. She ran through his veins the way she ran through the blood of all her citizens. She manifested different in each them, in the boys from her streets she was the courage to steal Batman's tires and in the boys from money she was the strength needed to survive in a mansion all alone, but she was always there.

And Jason loved her. He loved Gotham fiercely because for all the hardship she had given him, she had also given him strength and love and family. But occasionally he enjoyed spending time away from her.

The family spent a fair amount of time together as a family.

They all went snorkeling together. Jason pulled faces at Tim under the water, the other struggling not to laugh, until Dick crept up on him and pulled on Jason's leg. Jason had gotten so scared that he'd kicked Dick right in the nose and blood had filled the water. Alfred had made them all go home so he could treat it and make sure Dick's nose hadn't broken. One day Bruce had gotten pulled into a phone call from Lucius to deal with some urgent Wayne Enterprises business, so the rest of the family had gone to Port Victoria and spent the day walking through the botanical gardens. Tim ended up taking so many photos that day that Jason spent most of the night playing on the floor with Mr. Knightly, because Tim was too busy looking through them to do anything with Jason. Another day Dick, Jason, and Bruce ditched the others to spend some time out on the ocean doing things that the others had no interest in - like windsurfing and water skiing. Dick and Jason spent the day trying to convince Bruce to let them go paragliding, because despite what they spent their nights at home doing Bruce was reluctant to agree, and he gave in with just enough time for them to go out before they had to return home for dinner.

Though it was a family vacation and everyone spent time together, Jason and Tim also had a fair amount of time alone.

They walked along the beach, letting the water lap at their toes and picking up seashells. By the end of the trip, there were four cups of seashells sitting on the dresser in their room. Alfred forced them to narrow it down to one before they went home. Tim didn't like doing any of the water sports that Jason did with Dick and Bruce, but he didn't mind swimming. The two of them spent a lot of time in the ocean, jumping on each other to drag the other down into the water and splashing water at each other's faces. All the time in the sun darkened Jason to a warm gold and burned Tim to a bright lobster red. Jason had spent a few good minutes laughing at Tim while Selina slathered aloe over his skin, until Tim had wiped some of it off his shoulders and smeared it across Jason's cheeks. The entire family took a day trip to Curieuse Island. Jason and Tim ended up breaking away from their tour group so they could spend the day on the beach with the Giant Tortoises that roamed it. At one point they just laid in the sand and made up fake tortoise races, declaring their chosen companions and cheering for them as they moved towards the non-existent finishing line.

By the time they went home, Jason found that he wholeheartedly agreed with Selina's assertion that they had needed the time away from Gotham.

Jason couldn't remember the last time he had felt as light and carefree as he did during their vacation. It was nice to have that, even if only for two weeks. 

* * *

"I was not made for this shit," Marcus said. "I am a child of the city and the theater."

"So am I," Jason said. "And I'm doing just fine."

"Marcus, the rich kids are complaining less than you," Arielle said. "You should be better at this physical labor stuff than them."

"This isn't physical labor," Luke said. "And hiking is exactly the kind of thing we do on our vacations. We just usually do it in more exotic places and it usually ends with us in cabins instead of tents."

"Yeah," Tam said. "But this is going to be pretty fun I think."

Tim smiled as he listened to his friends talk.

It was the weekend after Tim's fifteenth birthday. Jason and Tim were spending the weekend camping with their friends in Wharton State Forest, about two hours away from Gotham.

Bruce had been a little surprised by the request when Tim asked, obviously not anticipating that Tim would want to celebrate his birthday camping, but had agreed without much fuss. With Tim newly fifteen and Jason a few weeks from seventeen, he hadn't seen a problem with them going away for the weekend with their friends. Tim was relived that the request hadn't turned into a fight. He knew that Bruce's caution was only because he worried about them and Tim enjoyed having someone care about him like that, but he was glad he had friends and the freedom to be with them.

Permission granted, the group of them had spent Thursday night sleeping in the living room at Wayne Manor. It was a good opportunity for Marcus and Arielle to meet Luke and Tam. They had met before at Tim and Jason's birthday parties, but they hadn't spent a significant amount of time interacting with each other. Tim had been nervous that they wouldn't get along, but his worry had been unfounded because as the night stretched on it had become more obvious that, despite all of their differences, they enjoyed each others company.

In the morning they had thrown their bags into Luke's SUV, because the car Bruce had bought Jason for Christmas was fast but tiny and there was no way all six of them and their gear would fit in it, and driven out to the park. They found a place to park the car, then started making their way along the Mullica River Trial to the camp site that they'd agreed to set up at.

"Hey," Jason said, nudging his elbow against Tim's ribs. His voice was soft so only Tim could hear him. The two of them were walking side by side, their fingers brushing as they moved but now quite holding onto each other. "You okay? You've been quiet."

"I'm fine," Tim said, speaking loud enough that the others could hear him and Jason would know there wasn't anything to hide. He smiled as he added, "I just thought I'd let Marcus get all of his complaining out now so that we don't have to listen to it all weekend."

"Tim, I feel obligated to inform you just how useless that kind of optimistic thinking is," Arielle said. "Because the only person who can out-monologue Marcus is Jason."

"I appreciate your acknowledgement of my superior monologuing skills," Marcus said, "but I really think you're underselling how much of a drama queen Jason is."

"I agree," Luke said. "I can't possibly imagine anyone being as dramatic as Jason is."

* * *

It was a fun weekend.

The four of them reached the camp ground and got their things set up fairly early Friday night, so they ended up spending some time wading around the river. At one point Luke had splashed Tam a little bit by accident and Tam had responded by kicking a rush of water at him. Spurred on by the Fox's sibling rivalry, the rest of the group had gotten involved. By the time they waded out of the river, all six of them were soaking wet. Afterwards they changed into warm pajamas and gathered around a firepit. They sat there as day faded to night and the sky went inky and filled with stars. The Fox's told stories from their childhood and Marcus told stories about the theater club and Tim and Jason started a contest to tell the most embarrassing stories about each other and Arielle told stories so scary that they were all clinging to someone else. And when they were finally ready for bed, the boys made their way to a tent that was far too small for the four of them and the girls went to their own.

The next day they hiked to Atsion Lake. They spent the day there, canoeing and swimming and lounging around in the sun. By the time they were done, they were all too exhausted from playing all day to go back to the campsite they had stayed at the night before. So instead they walked to Goshen Pond and set up there for the night.

When everyone woke up Sunday morning, they packed up their things and made their way back to the parking lot that they'd left the car in for the weekend. The drive on Friday had been loud and filled with laughter, but the drive home was quieter. Luke was driving with Jason in the passengers seat, but the rest of them were packed into the back and Tim found himself drifting off against Arielle's shoulder.

Halfway to Gotham, they stopped at a tiny diner for breakfast.

As they sat around the table, chugging coffee and arguing about whether eggs or pancakes were better, Tim found himself struck by the fact that more than half of the people at the table would be gone next summer.

It wasn't like they were going to drop off the planet, but Tam and Tim were the only ones that weren't going into their senior year. Jason was mostly keeping his university plans close to his chest, speaking with Bruce and Selina about it more than Tim, but Tim knew that Jason's first choice right now was Gotham U. He didn't know what Arielle and Marcus were planning, but he'd heard them both talk about University so he knew they were at least planning on going to college. Tim assumed that Luke was aiming for Lucius' alma mater since that was the type of thing boys from families like theirs did. They would all be busy with University and making a new lives for themselves. There likely wouldn't be time for weekends like this.

Tim didn't know how to feel about that.

He wanted Jason, and all of their friends, to grow up and move on, but he found himself frightened by the idea that he would get left behind as they did. 

* * *

Tim was sitting on the couch with a book in his hand, a science fiction novel that Alfred had said he might like, when he heard a loud sigh. He barely had time to lift his book before Jason fell onto his legs. Tim jerked a little bit against the sudden weight, but adjusted quickly. He was used to Jason suddenly draping himself over him.

"Tim, save me," Jason said.

"Bad talk with Bruce?" Tim asked. He closed his book settling it down on the coffee table. Jason shifted immediately, going from sitting on Tim's thighs to lying stomach down on top of Tim. Tim widened his legs so that Jason could fit his between them and Jason rested his chin on Tim's chest so he could peer at Tim as they spoke.

"Not really," Jason said. He sighed a little bit before saying, "We're not like...arguing or anything, but we don't agree on college stuff and Bruce keeps pushing instead of letting me make the decision myself."

"But you're not fighting?" Tim asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We're disagreeing, but I wouldn't call it fighting, no," Jason said. He sighed, closing his eyes as he did. Tim reached up to run his fingers through Jason's hair, knowing that the touch helped Jason down. "It's fine. We'll get through it soon enough."

Tim hummed a bit, but chose not to say anything.

Instead he looked down at Jason and found himself wondering what it was exactly that Jason and Bruce were fighting about.

Not knowing something about Jason was a strange, foreign feeling to Tim. He knew that the only reason Jason hadn't told him about this was because there wasn't much Tim could do to help or advise Jason with college applications and decisions, but things were changing in Jason's life. Tim didn't like feeling as though he was staying stagnant.

It felt like if he didn't start changing things in his life as well, he would get left behind.

It was that feeling that had Tim saying, "Jason."

"Mm?"

Tim took a deep breath before forcing all of his feelings into his words and saying the one thing he had never told Jason before, "I love you."

Jason startled, eyes opening wide. He stared at Tim for a minute before he said, "What?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Heyo! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter :)
> 
> 2) Not about this chapter specifically, but I've been feeling like the chapter titles for this series don't flow well so I might change some of them. How do you guys feel about them? If you have any opinions on them at all. 
> 
> 3) You can tell it's hot in Colorado bc I had people swimming constantly in this chapter.


	19. Me and You

Jason sat on the floor in the living room with his legs crossed under him and Mr. Knightly in his lap. He was petting the cat in the hopes that it would make him a little less nervous, that somehow playing with him would make the swarm of butterflies in his stomach calm down, but that wasn't really working. It was mostly just getting cat hair all over his shorts.

Still, he thought he'd probably go a little crazy if he stopped and let himself linger on how nervous he was.

He'd been caught off guard when Tim had told him he loved him, but he had also been ridiculously ecstatic. He had known it would come one day, had known that the two of them had always been something more than friends and that with every day they spent together they inched closer to being that something properly, and his certainty had made him content to wait for the day when Tim was ready. But being willing to wait for it, didn't mean that he was any less happy when it finally happened.

It also didn't mean he was any more prepared for today - for their first date.

He had known they would get to this point, but it wasn't like he had had a plan for it other than waiting for Tim to be ready for it. And it wasn't like he had any experience in first dates to help him figure this out. It had never seemed right to date someone else when he knew that Tim was it for him.

He didn't think that a bad first date would be the end of anything for him and Tim, but it wasn't the sort of foot that he wanted a relationship between the two of them to start out on.

He wanted this to be good, for himself and for Tim.

"Hey. Sorry it took me so long." Jason startled. His neck cracked when he whipped around, looking over to the stairs. Tim was hurrying down them, wearing a blue and green stripped tank top and a pair of black shorts. His hair was a mess, sticking up in wild angles as if he had been in so much of a hurry that it hadn't occurred to him to try and tame it. Jason had seen Tim look like this a thousand times. That didn't stop the butterflies in his stomach from kicking up a frenzy at the sight. "I'm not going to make us late for the movie am I?"

"Um no," Jason said. He realized a moment later that the words had come out shaky and unsure. Wanting to seem a little cooler, Jason cleared his throat and tried again, "No. The showing I got us tickets for isn't for a little while still. I thought you might want to mess around in the arcade at the theater for a little bit before it started."

"That sounds fun," Tim said. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he looked over at Jason. A smile settled on his lips and Jason's heart sped up in his chest. He wanted to slap himself, remind himself that this was _Tim_  and there was no reason for Jason to be quite so lovestruck given that he had spent almost half a decade in love with Tim. "Are you ready to go then?"

"Yeah," Jason said.

He scooped Mr. Knightly up out of his lap, ignoring the unhappy sound the cat made when Jason lifted him from comfortable perch, and set him down on the couch cushions next to him before pushing himself to his feet. He grabbed his keys off the coffee table in front of him and shoved them into his pocket before making his way to the bottom of the stairs where Tim was waiting.

He paused for a moment, hesitating.

Then, face heating with a blush, he held his hand out in Tim's direction.

Another thing to be embarrassed about, Jason thought. The fact that holding Tim's hand - something he had done hundreds of times before - had him blushing like a twelve year old girl speaking to her crush for the first time.

It was absurd that all these things that were normal in their life had Jason feeling so different than usual. But there was something about doing them now, doing them when they were _actually_  dating rather than just building up to dating, that made everything normal feel so much different than usual.

Jason watched as Tim's face tinted pink, feeling a little better that he wasn't the only one feeling nervous and embarrassed by everything new going on, before he reached out and grabbed Jason's hand.

Jason shifted to make the hold more comfortable, fitting his fingers through the gaps in Tim's, and then gave a small tug as he stepped towards the door that led to the garage. "Alright. Let's get going then or we really will end up missing the beginning of the movie."

* * *

Their first date was simple.

It was also incredibly awkward and embarrassing.

They played air hockey in the movie theaters arcade, blushing every time they met each other's eyes across the table. They watched an action film that Jason didn't remember a single thing about because he'd been worrying about whether or not to hold Tim's hand. Then, when he finally grabbed Tim's hand, he started worrying about whether his palm was too sweaty. After the movie they went out to dinner and they both turned into blushing messes every time their feet bumped against each other.

When they returned home, Jason found himself incredibly glad that Bruce had insisted that they stop sharing a room now that they were dating. He didn't think he would have been able to sleep if they were still sharing a room.

In the days following their first date, the awkward fumbling and embarrassment started to fade into something softer, something shyer. They were beginning to find their footing in their relationship, remembering that even if all of this was new to them it was still the two of them and there was nothing to be nervous about.

Instead of the blushing and stuttering that had taken over their first date, their second date was filled with the sweet softness of two people beginning to figure out how they fit together. Or, in their case, how to fit together in this context.

They went bowling. They laughed as they tested out different balls, trying to figure out the best weight for each of them. Tim wasn't weak, but he didn't have the muscle mass that Jason did and when he picked up a ball several pounds too heavy for him, Jason had to duck forward to keep him from dropping it on his toes. Their fingers brushed, a shy kiss of skins, as Jason took the ball from him. When Jason was sitting in the chair in front of the computer, punching in names for the scoreboard, Tim ended up resting against his back with his chin resting on Jason's head with his arms resting against Jason's chest. It was a position they'd sat in a million times, though usually with Jason on top given their height difference, but now Tim's arms rested lighter against Jason's chest, like he thought Jason was fine with it but wasn't entirely certain that Jason wouldn't push him off. After their game they went to the small snack stand and ordered nachos that they ate while sitting side by side, their thighs pressed together and their knees bumping against each other.

Their family had largely left them alone when it came to their relationship, letting them adjust without any pressure or teasing that might have increased the awkwardness between them, but as they found their footing their family began to react - mostly by teasing them mercilessly. Dick cooed the first time they held hands in front of him, or at least the first time they had done it since beginning to date, and told them how 'absolutely adorable' they were in a tone that made Jason want to punch him. Barbara's teasing was more quiet - more amused, knowing glances and quiet laughter. It was just as annoying as Dick was. Selina she teased them like Dick did, but with an affection in her voice that made it clear just how happy she was for them. Alfred teasing was quieter, almost unnoticeable. It took the form of cleared throats and amused side glances when Jason and Tim were sitting too close on the couch or holding hands under the dinner table. Bruce was quiet, steering away from teasing them, but he shot them a lot of fond smiles, like just seeing the two of together and happy was enough to make him happy.

The teasing was a little annoying, but mostly it just made Jason smile when they weren't watching.

It was nice to have a family that did things like tease him when he started a relationship. 

* * *

"Oh man, you guy are just the cutest thing ever, aren't you?" Jason cooed. "And so are all your babies. You did such a good job on them, didn't you?"

Tim had been sipping a cup of apple cider and watching as families came out of the corn maze, trying to gauge how difficult it was by how frustrated they looked, but Jason's voice startled him out of his thoughts.

It was a little early in October for corn mazes and apple cider, but the two of them had plans later in the month to pick pumpkins out with Alfred, go to a haunted house with Lucas and Tam, and go trick or treating with Marcus and Arielle. So despite it being early in the season, they'd decided to come out to the corn maze for a quiet fall date before the rest of their month got swept up in group activities.

Currently the two of them were standing in the barn on the corn maze's grounds which was home to a small petting zoo.

Tim found the animals adorable, but they didn't capture his attention as long as they did Jason's.

The two of them were holding hands, but the hold hadn't kept Jason from leaning forward so his body was pressed flush against the fence of the pen in front of them. He was peering down at the large rabbit in the pen below them with a large smile on his face. Surrounding the large gray rabbit that Jason had speaking too were several small bunnies, not newborns but not very old yet either.

"There's no way I could convince Bruce to let us have a rabbit, right?" Jason said, turning away from the rabbits to look at Tim.

"We've only had Mr. Knightly a few months," Tim said. "I think we should probably wait a little while before asking for another pet."

Jason hummed a second before saying, "I guess you're right." He looked back down at the bunnies in the enclosure, lips falling down in a small frown. "Sorry guys, Timbo says I can't take one of you home. But I'm sure one of the nice kids here will get their parents to buy you for them and then you'll get to play with them all of the time. It'll probably be a lot more fun than hanging out with two teenagers all day."

Tim couldn't help the smile that settled on his lips, practically splitting his face in half with how wide it was.

Animals weren't Jason's biggest soft spot, but there were very few people who could resist the charm of baby bunnies and Jason was strong but he wasn't quite strong enough for that. That took a level of strength that Bruce didn't have, a level of strength that even _Alfred_  didn't have.

Filled with fondness and affection that was fueled by Jason's smile and the way he was practically cooing at the animals, Tim found himself saying, "You're cute." Then, filled with a confidence that came only from being as happy as he was in the moment, Tim leaned over and pressed his lips against Jason's cheek.

Jason went still for a moment, then he lifted one of his hands away from the railing and dusted his fingertips against the skin that Tim had just kissed.

A moment later, Jason's face turned a burning, blushing red.

Tim couldn't help the giggles that escaped his mouth.

He squeezed Jason's hand just a little tighter.

He had never hated how things were before, had always been content simply to have Jason by his side. But despite how happy he had been in those days, Tim found that he was even happier these days. 

* * *

Kissing wasn't new to Tim and Jason's relationship, but it had mostly been restricted to Jason pressing kisses against Tim's forehead when reassuring him about something. Those had been few and far between, though. They had been something special, something treasured that never failed to bring Tim's spirits up when he was at his lowest points. It hadn't happened since they had started their relationship, though, and it had been so infrequent before that it had never occurred to Tim to be embarrassed about it.

After Tim kissed Jason on their date, however, kissing became a frequent occurrence between them  
  
It started later on the same day that Tim had kissed Jason's cheek. Jason brushed his lips against Tim's cheek when they finished the corn-maze after that first kiss, cheering in excitement over having finished. He caught Tim off-guard and when Tim started blushing, Jason had laughed and called it pay back for Tim surprising him earlier that day. It continued once in the days after their date, when Jason was dropping Tim off at Gotham Academy that Monday and Tim pressed another kiss against his cheek before ducking out of the car. When Jason picked Tim up, he leaned over and kissed Tim's cheek after saying goodbye.

It was the start of a new normal in their relationship as the sweet, little cheek kisses continued after that. And the kisses paved the way for them to grow more comfortable with the physical aspects of being in a relationship, to grow comfortable with the things that they hadn't done before. Kisses on cheeks weren't inherently romantic, but they were something more than simply holding hands or sitting close together.

They had their first kiss, their first kiss on the lips anyway, on Halloween.

They had spent the night trick or treating with Marcus and Arielle, Jason had gone dressed as a player from the Gotham Knights and Tim as a character from Star Wars, before taking all of the candy they'd collected into Jason's new bedroom. They had sat cross-legged on the bed with all of the candy dumped out between them, looking through it in search of the things they each liked. When Tim found a mint chocolate Hershey kiss, one of Jason's favorites, he told Jason that he could have it if he gave Tim a kiss first.

Tim had been a kiss on the cheek, but when Jason leaned forward, it was to press his lips against Tim's instead. It was a quick peck, just a few seconds, but it was long enough for both of them to have turned a bright cherry red by the time Jason pulled away.

But despite his embarrassment, Tim found that there was a happy warmth in this chest that settled in for the rest of the night. 

* * *

"Hey, baby bird." Robin was looking through his binoculars, focused on looking out at the apartment of the mobster they were staking out, but now he looked away. Stray was standing on the edge of the rooftop opposite him, strolling towards him with two steaming coffee cups in his hands. November had brought a chill to the Gotham air, but Robin had been so focused that he hadn't noticed just how cold he'd gotten until confronted with the prospect of drinking something that would warm him up. "I brought hot chocolate."

"You're the best," Robin said, reaching one hand out.

"Absolutely," Stray agreed.

Once he was close enough, Stray pressed one of the cups into his waiting hand. Before he let go, though, he leaned down. Robin leaned forward, meeting him halfway and pressing their lips together in a quick kiss.

They stayed close for a moment after the kiss ended, both of them smiling as they reveled in the newness of this thing between them and how happy they were to be here with each other.

Then there was a crackling from their earpieces and Oracle's voice flooded their ears, "Robin, Stray, you guys are sweet as cotton candy, but Nightwing just received some intel that makes it seem like your target will be on the move soon, so if you could do less making out and more watching that would be great.

"We weren't making out," Stray objected. The two of them jerked apart, cheeks tinting pink with embarrassment over having been caught, but the comms had already filled with Nightwing's low, rumbling laughter.

One of Gotham's largest drug rings was making a move tonight, so it was all hands on deck. While Stray and Robin were watching one mid-level member of the circuit, the rest of the family was spread around other targets as they tried to make sure they saw everything going on tonight and would be able to stop anything that happened.

"You're teenage boys," Catwoman said, voice light with amusement. "No one here is blaming you for letting those teenage hormones go wild."

"Cat, those are our sons," Batman said, sounding a little pained. "I don't want to think about their teenage hormones."

"Ignoring the teenage hormones are just going to turn us into early grandparents."

"We're both boys, there aren't going to be any teenage pregnancies," Stray objected. Robin felt a little embarrassed, but Stray was getting so defensive that he kind of wanted to laugh along with Nightwing. "And even if one of us was a girl, there are no teenage hormones floating around to lead to teenage pregnancies!"

"You sure?" Nightwing asked, words filled with the same amusement as Catwoman's. "Because I remember being your age and there were a lot of hormones."

"I do not want to hear this," Batman said. "So if everyone could just stop talking about it and instead focus on the mission-"

"You definitely had more hormones then these two," Oracle said, causing Batman to let out a loud groan. "These two are mostly just sweet, you were a hound-dog."

Nightwing gasped. "I was a perfect gentlemen!"

"You were a hormonal teenage boy."

Stray looked as though he didn't know if he should be crying from embarrassment or celebrating the fact that Oracle and Nightwing were having a non-awkward conversation about their past relationship.

Robin decided to save him, because he was embarrassed that he'd forgotten that Oracle was watching them and that everyone else was on their comms to hear them even if he wasn't as embarrassed as Stray, by saying, "It looks like Nightwing's intel was correct. Vang is on the move. Stray and I will follow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know some of you probably wanted me to pick up where I left off right chapter, but the way I've formatted this fic doesn't necessarily lend itself to doing that and I'm pretty happy with skipping to where we are now because we /know/ that Tim and Jason love each other. We've been in both of their heads. While it's might be nice to hear that conversation, we don't NEED to hear it to know how they feel and where they are going.
> 
> 2) I am very sorry this took so long to get out! Summer is really strange for me. I switch between being motivated like hella and not really doing anything


	20. The Days With You Are Slipping By

"Selina?" Tim said, poking his head into Bruce and Selina's bedroom.

Selina was sitting on the bed in a pair of dark jeans and a soft looking black sweater with white snowflakes spread along her breasts. She had her legs folded under her. There was an open laptop balanced on her knees and a notebook with a black pen on top of it sitting to her side.

"Tim," she said, looking up from the laptop and at Tim standing in the doorway. There was a smile on her face, affection in her name.

"Oh. You're working," Tim said. He shifted backwards. "I'll just-"

"It's fine. A break would do me good," Selina said. She folded her laptop shut and moved it to her left before patting the bed on her right. "Come on." Tim hesitated for a moment before making his way across the room. He settled down in the space that Selina had indicated. When he was settled, Selina asked, "So? What did you come to talk about?"

"I was wondering if you would help me with something," Tim said.

"I'm fairly certain I would, but I would appreciate knowing what I'm agreeing to," Selina said.

"I wanted...you to pick me up after school on Friday?"

"I don't mind. But Jason usually picks you up and you wait for him to finish play practice, don't you?"

"Yes, which is why I need you to tell Jason I have a doctors appointment that you're taking me too."

Selina's eyebrows lifted. "And why exactly do you need me to lie to Jason for you?"

"So that he doesn't ask where I'm going." Tim could feel Selina's eyes on him, waiting for him to elaborate further. He felt embarrassment burning in his stomach. his face was heating up and he knew that his pale skin was probably splotchy red with his blush. "I want to go get him a Christmas gift without him knowing that that's what I'm doing? Since we're dating now and it seems important to get him something special and-"

He was cut off by Selina letting out a loud laugh.

Before he had time to think about that, to wonder if she was mocking him for his feelings, she leaned over and wrapped her arms around him.

"You," she said, resting her cheek against the crown of his head, her voice filled with amusement and warm affection, "are so much like your father that it's a little ridiculous."

"I am?"

"Oh gosh, yes," Selina said. "Bruce and I have been together for over a decade at that point. On and off and with various levels of seriousness, but Valentine's day has always been for the two of us. And you've seen how he gets when he's trying to plan a nice Valentines day for me."

Tim thought about Bruce fumbling every Valentine's day, frantic for weeks as he tried to come up with the best date to take Selina on and the best gift to buy her. He thought about the Valentine's day when Bruce had nervously asked Jason and Tim if Selina had mentioned anything that she might want. He thought about how all of that had happened early on in Jason and Tim's life with Bruce, how there had been _years_  before that when Selina and Bruce had been together and yet he had still come to them, nervous and needing help.

"Okay, but it hasn't been decades yet," Tim said. "This is our first holiday together. So, I'm not quite as bad as Bruce."

"It's not that bad," Selina said. The warmth in her voice had changed now, going from motherly affection to something that Tim recognized as being connected to the love she felt for Bruce. "It's quite flattering to know that a decade later, he still wants to impress me and give me the best gift." There was a quiet moment before she squeezed him tightly and pressed her lips against his hair in a quick kiss. "And Jason will be flattered that you're giving your first Christmas together his type of thought as well."

* * *

That Friday, it took Tim so long to pick a gift for Jason's birthday that he and Selina didn't end up getting back until Jason had already returned from play practice. It caused a bit of a problem since Jason bombarded Tim with questions, worried that his appointment had taken so long because there was something was wrong, but with Selina's help Tim managed not only to convince Jason that everything was okay but also to slip the bag holding the present past him without him noticing.

When Christmas rolled around, Jason and Tim had Christmas breakfast with the family the way they always did. They ate Alfred's Christmas pancakes and bacon while Dick teased them about holding hands under the table. Selina chided Dick a bit, but her voice was far too amused to have any actual authority. Bruce had stayed quiet, smiling softly in that way that he always did when the family was together. In the end, it was Alfred who ended Dick's teasing - threatening not to make anymore pancakes if Dick didn't start eating what was already on his plate.

After breakfast, they all sat around the Christmas tree to open presents.

When that was done, Tim and Jason said their goodbyes before leaving for the afternoon. They loved their family and spending Christmas with them was great, but sometimes it was also good to get a break from them for a little while.

Jason's gift to Tim turned out to be a Christmas date - tickets to see the Nutcracker and reservations for a restaurant that only let a teenager book a table once they realized he was Bruce Wayne's son. He'd been nervous when he handed Tim the tickets and explained the plan, his nerves and doubt written all over his face, but Tim had simply moved over the seat so he could plant a kiss against Jason's lips in an attempt to express to Jason just how happy he was with the gift. Maybe it wasn't something material for Tim to enjoy in the year to come, but Tim was fine with that. Memories made with Jason were a greater treasure than any physical gift.

They ended up exchanging kisses again when Tim gave Jason his gift, a copy of Pablo Neruda's Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada in Spanish, because the gift had felt inadequate against Jason's.

The rest of the afternoon was less nerve-wrecking. The two of them held hands through the Nutcracker, a special afternoon production given the holiday, and spent lunch laughing as they kicked each other under the table.

By the time they arrived back at the manor, Barbara had swung by to spend some time with them and the house was starting to smell like the Christmas dinner Alfred was cooking.

The rest of the evening was spent sitting on the floor in the living room, playing card and board games with the family. Tim's sleight of hand was getting better, but he still ended up being the first out when they played poker. Once he was out, he'd leaned his head against Jason's shoulder while he watched the others and murmured to him when he caught one of the others doing something. In the end, they fell second to Selina. They played several games of UNO after poker, until Dick got skipped by Bruce so many times that he refused to play since he wasn't getting turns anyone. They ended up playing Monopoly in teams, Jason and Tim versus Selina and Dick and Bruce and Barbara. Tim found himself a little relieved when dinner interrupted the game, as Bruce and Barbara had somehow managed to take every square from the first red to the final green. The only saving grace had been that Tim and Jason had Park Place while Dick and Selina had Boardwalk.

And when Tim went to bed that night, after dinner had been ate and the Monopoly game had ended with Dick and Selina making a comeback from last place, he went to bed happy. 

* * *

"Okay, so," Jason said, once he had walked close enough to see Tim. "I got two corn dogs, an elephant ear, a thing of cotton candy, and a lemonade."

It was New Years Eve and the two of them were at a park in Gotham that did fireworks for the holiday. They'd spent the evening enjoying the small carnival set up at the park, more games and food stalls than rides. Jason had actually been a little thankful for that, finding that the night was much better if he spent it throwing balls at empty milk jugs rather than puking after being spun a hundred times.

Now it wasn't quite midnight Midnight, late enough that the sky had gone dark navy blue but hadn't yet faded to dark inky black, but it would be soon. Jason had gotten Tim settled down at the car, the stuffed animals they'd won shoved into the back of the car and a blanket spread out on the roof for them to sit on, before going to grab them some more food.

"Jason," Tim said, exasperated as he shifted. He'd been lying down and staring up at the stars, but now he pushed himself up and leaned so had a better look at Jason. "The fireworks are going to start any minute now. There's no way we're going to eat all of that before we head back home."

"Uh yeah, because there's no we in this situation," Jason pointed out. Carrying everything on his way back from the food stalls had required a careful balancing act. He wasn't quite certain he'd be able to set it up on the car without dropping it, so he was relieved when Tim bent down to take the lemonade and corn dogs. "The only thing I'm sharing with you is the lemonade."

"I'm the one who asked for the elephant ear," Tim objected.

"Yeah, but I'm the one who went to get it and I'm not sharing," Jason said. Setting down the plate with the elephant ear, the cotton candy balanced on top of it, Jason pushed it over onto the blanket with Tim before climbing up. Given all of his training as Stray, it didn't take very much effort for Jason to boost himself up. He moved things around until he was sitting next to Tim, their legs folded under them while their knees and shoulders pressed together, with the elephant ear balanced on his knees. He held a hand out, "Corn dog me."

"Please don't ever say that to me again," Tim said, but passed Jason one of the corn dogs anyway.

"Sure," Jason said. Leaning back, he added, "If you promise to be my midnight kiss."

Tim looked at him for a moment before his expression softened, warm affection filling his eyes and the curve of his lips soft, "I would have been your midnight kiss anyway."

"Then promising shouldn't be any problem."

"Okay," Tim said, some of the affection giving way to a quiet amusement. "I promise to be your midnight kiss as long as you never ask me to corn dog you again."

Jason grinned and as they heard the screeching of the first firework of the night, he said, "You've got yourself a deal then."

* * *

Between the fireworks with Tim and spending the morning making fun of a hungover Dick, who had been staying in town for the holidays and gotten dragged out by a few of his friends from high school, New Years was good for Jason.

He couldn't say the same about the rest of the month.

It wasn't that things were necessarily bad.

It was just that once school started back up, there was no getting away from conversations about his plans after college. With the exception of Tam and Tim, all of his friends were seniors and they were all waiting for acceptance letters from their schools of choice.

Jason was waiting too, but he couldn't muster the same sort of excitement or nervousness about it as the others did.

For so much of his life, just going to _community college_  had seemed unattainable. He had never thought he'd get to go to a real University. And now that he was in the position of having a real shot at not only going to an real college but of going to an _Ivy League_  school, he didn't know how to handle it. He didn't know how to handle having English teachers pushing him to go to Yale and Bruce pushing him to go to Princeton and Selina encouraging him to go to Harvard.

It all seemed so far removed from his life that Jason couldn't figure out how to feel about it or how to react to it.

So instead Jason found himself focusing on Tim and how much it was going to hurt to choose a school knowing that it would tear him away from Tim. Even if he went to Princeton, he would be expected to leave Gotham and stay on campus. That would put him an entire hour away from Tim, an entire hour away from the person who Jason knew better than the back of his hand.

The more Jason thought about his feelings on going to college, the more he found himself torn about how Tim would feel about it. He knew that in two years Tim would feel the exact same way as him. He knew that Tim would already be struggling with whether to go to Jack Drake's or Bruce's alma mater. And he knew that on top of all of that, Tim would also struggle with the choice of whether to pick either of those schools over going to whatever school Jason had gone to.

Then when thinking about that, Jason would think about how his choice would have a direct effect on Tim's life and the idea that his choice could stop Tim from going somewhere he would love just because Jason picked a different school. It made Jason panick about the entire thing.

He had always known that he and Tim were too close, always known that they were attached to each other in a way that most childhood friends and teenage sweethearts weren't. He had always known that he and Tim were _more_  than just those things to each other. And for the first in this life, Jason found himself doubting if being something more was good for them.

Not because he didn't love him, but because Jason loved him _so much_  that it hurt to think that he could be the thing keeping Tim from something. 

* * *

"You're cold."

It was a Saturday night and the two of them were walking through the park, on their way to a cafe they liked so they could get hot chocolate, after having gone to the movies together. With Valentines next weekend, neither of them had really wanted to do anything too big this weekend but there had been a movie they both wanted to see.

Tim didn't have time to think of a response before Jason was letting go of his hand so that he could shrug out of his jacket.

"I'm fine," Tim objected.

"I can see you shivering," Jason said. When he'd wiggled out, he held the leather out towards Tim and motioned towards himself with a finger. "Come on. Let me put this on you."

"If I take your jacket, than your going to start shivering."

"I've been through worse," Jason dismissed. "And I'm bigger than you. A cold will catch you before it catches me."

Tim wanted to argue, but he knew that Jason was right. And more than that, he knew that Jason wasn't likely to give up. He'd sit in the snowy park all night, waiting for Tim to give in and take the jacket.

"Fine," Tim said, "but let it be known that I'm not happy about it."

"I would never imagine otherwise."

He walked closer to Jason before turning around, slipping his arms through the jacket when Jason gave him the opportunity.

Despite all of his complaining, Tim found himself burrowing into the warmth immediately.

Jason had been quiet and distant the last few weeks. He was by Tim's side just like always, but he was caught up in his head in a way he usually wasn't. Tim was okay with it. If Jason needed time to try and figure something out, than Tim wasn't going to butt in and interrupt his thought process.

But that didn't mean that it wasn't nice to have this moment, to be wrapped in Jason's jacket and covered in the scent of Jason's aftershave, after weeks of that.

"Come on," Jason said, reaching to take Tim's hand again. Tim was all too happy to slip his fingers through Jason's, holding on tightly. "The sooner we get to Janelle's the sooner we can get some hot chocolate to warm you up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm sorry it's late! I've been flagging a bit since it's summer.
> 
> 2) This chapter was supposed to be pretty much one hundred percent fluff, but Jason's worries slipped in. He'll get things sorted next chapter - it's just a matter of if everyone will like how he sorts them out.


	21. two can't keep a secret

"Have you gotten your letters back yet?"

Jason had been looking down at the textbook laid out on the table in front of him, scribbling calculus notes into the notebook he had resting between the pages, but now he looked up, humming absently, "Mmm?"

"Have you gotten any of your letters yet?" Arielle asked, repeating her question. "From Universities?"

"A few," Jason said. He thought about the pile of envelopes on his desk at home. He was lucky enough that they were all acceptance letters. Jason hadn't confirmed attendance with any of them. "I'm still awaiting on a few."

"What about the Ivy's you applied to?" Marcus asked. The gentle curiosity in his voice was a relief to Jason. It was free of the jealousy and bitterness that was pervasive in so many of Jason's recent conversations with their classmates. With everyone eager to get into the best possible school and wound up with the stress of it, the combination of Jason's intelligence and connections had put him in a lot of cross-hairs. Jason didn't really _care_  if most of his classmates were jealous since he didn't care about most of them, but Arielle and Marcus were his friends. He cared about them and he didn't want to make them feel that way. "Have any of them answered?"

"A few," Jason repeated. Knowing his friends would want more information, he said, "Princeton and Yale both accepted me."

"Then you'll be going to Princeton?" Arielle asked. "I mean it's your father's alma mater, right? And he's one of their most active alumni."

"Maybe," Jason said. "Bruce wants me to go to Prince, but he isn't pressuring me or anything. It's just that Dick didn't go there, even before he decided to drop out, and he'd like me to at least consider it since Dick never did."

"Do you not want to go there then?"

"I thought it'd be your top choice," Marcus said. "It's a great school, your a legacy, and it's close to home."

"It's an hour away."

"Too far?" Arielle said, sounding some mixture of confused and sympathic. Like she understood what she perceived as a desire to stay close to Tim and his family, but didn't understand why an hour would seem like too such a big deal to him.

Jason tapped his pen against his textbook, considering for a moment. He hadn't spoken with anyone about what his college plans were. There had been vague discussions about it with Selina and Bruce, but he hadn't told either of them what was floating in his head. He hadn't told either of them what schools he was seriously considering or how he was feeling about his relationship with Tim and how he was feeling about that relationship in relation to his school of choice.

It would be to nice to tell someone what he had been thinking, though.

And maybe Arielle and Marcus were the perfect people to tell. They weren't even adults, much less his parents, and they would see things from his point of view in a way that his parents couldn't.

Finally, he decided on answering, "It's too close."

Marcus' eyebrows raised. "You're looking for a school further away?" Jason nodded. "I thought you'd be looking for something nearby given the way you and Tim are."

"I"m looking at schools further away _because of_  the way Tim and I are," Jason said. He saw his friends shifting as they picked up on the fact that the conversation had turned into something more personal, something a little more serious. They angled themselves in a way that blocked their table off from the rest of the cafeteria while also leaning close to Jason. "I know what Tim and I are like, you know? I know that the lack of distance between us isn't exactly the best thing. It's not...unhealthy, I don't think, but we rely on each other too much. We're content to push most people away because we have each other. And there's very little we wouldn't do in order to stay with each other." He was quiet for a moment, giving his friends time to mull over his words as well as trying to handle the fact that this was the first time he'd expressed his thoughts out-loud. It was strange to talk about something that he'd been hiding inside himself for so long. "And I was okay with that before, I'm still not really _bothered_ but it if I'm honest, but I don't want the way that we are to effect him and the choices he makes for his future, the choices he's going to make in the future. I want us to get used to not being glued to each other's side so that he never has to give something up because he's too afraid to leave me."

There was another silent stretch as his friends absorbed the information he'd given them.

After a moment, Arielle asked, "How far are you going then? Which school are you considering?"

"Oxford."

* * *

When his acceptance letter came, Jason sat down with Bruce and Selina to tell him where he'd decided to go to school. They'd both been surprised, having expected - just like everyone else - that Jason would want to stay within a few hours of Gotham, but they had still congratulated him and told him they would help get things ready for Jason to move across the ocean.

They also agreed not to tell anyone else.

It wasn't that Jason didn't _want_  to tell the rest of the family, wasn't that Jason thought Alfred wouldn't care or that Dick wouldn't want to hug him until Jason couldn't breathe and say goodbye or that Barbara wouldn't put extra books in his bags and demand he return them next time they saw each other.

It was just that Jason wanted Tim to be the next person to know.

Tim deserved to have been the first person to know, but Jason hadn't been ready to tell Tim and he'd needed to tell someone what he was thinking so he'd told Marcus and Arielle. And Jason hadn't been ready to tell Tim, but he'd needed to tell Bruce and Selina so that they could help him fill things out and get things ready.

Tim had deserved to be the first to know, but Jason had already taken that away from him.

He wouldn't tell anyone else until he told him.

And Jason still wasn't ready to tell Tim, so no one else found out either.

* * *

"That was fun," Tim remarked as he and Jason stepped out of the cafe and onto the sidewalk. One of his hands dangled loosely between him and Jason, their fingers twined together, while the other held a to-go cup filled with steaming hot coffee. Despite the the sun having gone down and the hour being closer to dawn then dusk, Tim had refused to leave the cafe without one last cup.

"I'm glad you liked it," Jason said. It was a nice night for the middle of March, cool but not cold and rain-less for the first time in several days. There was a slight breeze that pushed through Jason's hair, playing with the longer strands that curled around his ear and against the back of his neck. "I wasn't sure you would since I know poetry isn't usually your thing."

"That was way different than sitting around reading out of one of your books."

Jason hummed a bit. "Yeah."

The two of them had spent the evening at a slam poetry event in the middle of Gotham. It had been hosted after hours at a tiny cafe that the two of them frequented in the winter months, going in early in the mornings to grab coffee before Jason dropped Tim off at Gotham Academy and headed to Gotham Public himself. They didn't stop by as often now, warmer temperatures meant Tim drank his two cups of coffee at the manor and didn't get so cold on the way to school that they had to stop for another, but they stopped in occasionally for iced tea on their way back home.

Jason had seen the flyer for the event a week or so ago when he'd ran in to get them drinks while Tim sat in the car, searching through his bookbag and trying to determine if they needed to go back to school to grab a forgotten textbook. He'd come back to the car with two green tea strawberry infusions and a half formed idea for a date.

"I'm glad we came out today," Tim said, squeezing Jason's hand. "It was a good idea."

Jason hummed against, quiet as he squeezed Tim's hand in return and flashed a small smile.

"Are you hungry?" Jason asked. "Curfew is soon, but we have time to go to IHop or something before we have to be home."

"I could go for some blueberry crepes."

"Sure," Jason agreed. "But no more coffee. You've had more then enough for one night."

A pout settled on Tim's lips, but he didn't argue. Instead he asked, "Can I get a hot chocolate at least?"

"Sure, just no caffeine."

* * *

Timothy Drake was a lot of things.

Stupid was not one of them. And even if it was, Tim knew Jason well enough for it not to matter.

He knew when Jason was lying to him - even when it was a lie of omission.

Tim could see the times when Jason worried his lip between his teeth, lost in thought and choking on words he wasn't saying. He could feel the distance between them, the times when the couch dipped as Jason sat on the opposite side of the couch instead of near Tim and the moments when their shoulders should have touched but didn't. Tim could hear the silence in the moments when Jason would have rambled to him about something he was reading or told Tim something that had happened that day, but chose not to.

Tim didn't know what was going on exactly, but he knew that Jason was keeping something from him and he knew that whatever Jason was keeping him had his boyfriend putting distance between them that didn't usually exist.

It was strange and Tim worried a bit, but he didn't think about it much.

Mostly, he was content to let Jason keep his secrets.

It was easy to trust Jason when Tim knew him so well and trusted him as much as he did. Tim knew that whatever it was that was bothering Jason, it would come out eventually. Jason kept things from him sometimes, but there was always a point where Jason spoke to him, where Jason told Tim what was going on and asked for his advice or help.

That had always been the case before.

It would be the case now.

Tim just had to give Jason the time he needed to get there. 

* * *

Jason sat at the island, watching as Tim peered into the open cabinets.

April had brought with it an extraordinarily warm weekend. The two of them had taken the opportunity to get permission to open the pool. They'd spent most of the morning doing that, Bruce having told them not to bother Alfred with it since they were the ones who wanted it opened earlier than usual, before spending a few of the afternoon hours lounging around in the water.

They'd stayed out there until both of their stomachs had started growling and they'd decided to come in for lunch.

Tim was wearing a pair of short neon blue swimming trunks with brown and yellow bands around his thighs. They'd both dried off before coming inside, the white towel Tim had used was wrapped around his neck, but Tim's pale skin was still glittering with water droplets, rolling down the curve of his hip and spine.

"How does ravioli sound for lunch?" Tim asked.

"We own canned ravioli?" Jason said, feeling a little surprised. Alfred practically preached the gospel of fresh food, expecting them all to eat healthy. He said that it was important for everyone, but that it was even more important for people who did the things they did during the night so that they'd be at the top of their game.

"I snuck a few into the shopping cart last time we went shopping," Tim said. "He absolutely knew that I did it, but he didn't argue or take them out so I assume he understood that sometimes we just want something quick to eat."

Jason hummed quietly, agreeing, "I guess so."

"So canned ravioli?"

"Sure," Jason agreed. He didn't really have any objection to chefboyardee.

"I'll make that for lunch then."

Jason had made lunch the day before which meant it was Tim's turn to do it today.

For a while Jason just watched as Tim bustled around the kitchen. He watched as Tim reached for the two cans they would need, as he searched for a pot that wouldn't be too big or small for what they wanted, as Tim rummaged around the silverware drawer for a spoon he could use to stir.

The longer he watched, the more Jason thought about how they wouldn't get to spend very many more days like this, the more Jason thought about his decision to go to Oxford and how once the next school year started there would be no more weekend lunches together, the more Jason thought about how he still hadn't told Tim that any of that was happening.

It all gathered up until Jason found himself watching as Tim poured ravioli into bowls and blurted out, "I think we should separate for a while, so I decided I'm going to Oxford after I graduate." Then after a beat of silence, he added, "I already accepted their offer."

There was a long stretch of silence.

"Okay," Tim said. Jason could see the movement as Tim took a deep breath. "I didn't think _that_  was what you were keeping from me, but okay." He took another deep breath before grabbing the bowls from the counter and turning to face Jason. "Let's eat lunch and talk about why you think that."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Hello everyone :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) :) :) :) :)
> 
> 2) Got a new laptop before starting this chapter and I'm still adjusting to the keyboard so if you see a plethora of unusual spelling errors, please let me know. 
> 
> 3) This....is a really short chapter after a really long time without an update. And I am very sorry for that.


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